Reading 4A

Name: ___________________________

Three Levels of Reading in Literature using No Speak English

A. Literal Level. What does the text actually say? What happened in the story? The reader can point to the text and
show the literal meaning.
Literal level questions might ask you to
Explain the order of events
Identify which characters are involved in each event or how the characters are related
Identify key words or phrases that state important characteristics, circumstances, or similarities and
differences in characters, in times or in places.
Identify directly-stated opinions
1. What does Mamacita say if a stranger knocks on the door?

2. What are the three reasons people give for why Mamacita never leaves her apartment?

3. What language does Mamacitas baby boy begin to speak?

B. Inferential Level. What does the text mean? What meaning can be inferred from the literal level? The reader
must look for context and bring his or her own knowledge to the text.
Inferential level questions might ask you to
Identify implied relationships (relationships not directly stated) such as cause and effect, comparisons and
contrasts, or classifications and generalizations.
Predict probable future outcomes based on patterns or other evidence.
Elaborate (enlarge, expand, or explain) based on specific events, images, patterns, or symbols found in the
text.
Identify unstated reasons for actions or beliefs based on explicitly stated information.
1. Read lines 50-51. What does the thread represent in Mamacitas life? What does her husband do to tear it?

2. Describe the relationship between Mamacita and her husband.

3. What does Pepsi represent to Mamacita?

C. Evaluative Level. What does the text tell us about our world? How do I feel about it? Writers create stories with
universal interest, so the moral, or life lesson, from a story may be applied widely. Readers add their experience
and knowledge for fuller understanding.
Evaluative level questions might ask you to
To analyze or make judgments about what you read by using evidence from the text to reach conclusions
and make generalizations with wider implications.
Describe why the author included a particular part of the story. What was the authors motivation
(incentive, reason for acting) or purpose for writing this story based on evidence in the selection?
Draw other conclusions that are validated (confirmed, proved) by the evidence in the selection.

1. Mamacita is struggling to fit into a new culture. What type of struggle did you experience when adapting to
American culture? In what ways was your struggle similar to Mamacitas? In what ways was it different?

2. Mamacita paints the walls of her apartment pink because she feels homesick. Do you think it made Mamacita
feel better or worse? Why or why not? What have you done to help yourself feel at home in a place that is
not your home? Did it help? Why or why not?

3. Do you think it is fair for Mamacitas husband to be disgusted at her (line 42)? Why or why not?