Efrén Divided

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. What does Efrén do at home when he wants some privacy?

2. What meeting does Efrén attend with David?

3. Where was Amá when ICE arrested her?

Short-Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. When the novel first opens, how does Efrén show that he is both a “typical” seventh grade boy living in America and a seventh grader whose life is filled with atypical worries?

2. How is Jennifer Huerta a round (three-dimensional) character?

3. How does the breakfast scene at the end of the section both parallel and contrast the breakfast scene at the beginning of the section?

Paired Resource

“Immigration and Relocation in US History: Mexican”

• General introductory information on Mexican migration to the United States from the Library of Congress
• Connects to the novel’s theme of Personal Sacrifice for Family
• How do the Navas’ needs and motivations fit the description of families in the article?

Sopes recipe

• A description and recipe for making sopes, the fried rounds of corn dough with toppings Efrén enjoys
• What might sopes and other foods mentioned in the story symbolize?

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1.Why must Efrén skip detention?

2. How does Apá manage to begin to begin raising more money for Amá’s second attempt at coming home?

3. How does Mia react when she hears Amá on the phone?

Short-Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Besides seeing his mother whom he genuinely misses very much, why is Efrén eager for his mother to get back home? What does this show about his character in Chapters 5-8?

2. What circumstances occur to prevent Amá’s homecoming?

3. Efrén’s conflict seems to initiate a change of heart in Mr. Garrett. How does Mr. Garrett show he feels differently? What is the main lesson he is trying to get across?

Paired Resource

“Why Family Separation Is Growing into a ‘Global Crisis’”

• An article from PBSNews Hour from 2020 on causes of family separation and impact on children
• Teacher-appropriate (not student-facing)

Chapters 9-12

Reading Check

1. With what task does David ask Efrén’s help at David’s grandmother’s house?

2. How will the cundina help with getting Amá home?

3. What does Efrén offer to do to try to protect Apá?

Short-Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why do David and Efrén disagree at David’s grandmother’s house?

2. In what ways does Efrén now want to behave differently when Amá is back home?

3. Summarize Efrén’s plan to find Amá in Tijuana.

Paired Resource

“Friendship Park—San Diego, California”

• Photos, history, and information (2021) on one group’s attempt to restore Friendship Park, a meeting place between San Diego and Tijuana like the one Efrén visits in the novel
• A video further explores the history of the US-Mexico border and how a barrier evolved over time.
• Connects to the novel’s theme of The Fight for Humanitarianism, Tolerance, and Justice
• How do the images on the site and in the video relate to Apá’s initial plan to help Amá?

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. Who saves Efrén from danger when he walks the wrong direction in Tijuana?

2. What does the border officer tell Efrén about his citizenship documents?

3. Why do Apá and Efrén become afraid on the drive home from Tijuana?

Short-Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What error in judgement does Efrén make at the Arco regarding the children who made tin flowers, and what occurs as a result of his error?

2. What does Lalo offer to do to help Amá, and why?

3. How are the events of the day on Sunday ironic considering the way the day ends?

Paired Resource

“A Major Show on the Southern Border Wall Is Coming to the National Building Museum”

• The Architect’s Newspaper looks at El Muro from a social lens, encouraging discussion about borders in general and the challenges and ramifications of border wall construction.

“Rael San Fratello Turns the US-Mexico Border into a Joyous Seesaw Playground”

• A short article and video offer a chance to think metaphorically about the meaning and impact of border walls.
• What might the builders have intended for people to feel on seeing the seesaws in use? How do the actions of people using the seesaws relate to the actions of people Efrén witnesses at El Muro in the novel?

Chapters 17-19

Reading Check

1. How do Apá and Efrén comfort the twins when Apá admits Amá cannot come home?

2. What two things does Efrén intend to do at school the morning after Amá does not come home?

3. How does David find out that Amá was deported?

Short-Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What happened to prevent Amá coming home, and how was this foreshadowed in Chapter 15?

2. Why is David suspected of vandalizing Efrén’s campaign posters? What is the truth of the situation?

3. What does David mean in Chapter 19 when he says, “You taught me that the color of my skin doesn’t matter. Only now, this school—heck, this whole world, needs to be reminded”? Use specific text details to explain the story points to which he is referring.

Recommended Next Reads

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

• A middle grade novel in which a girl from Mexico becomes friends with the boy whose family hires hers for help on their farm
• Shared topics include deportation and immigration
• Shared themes include The Fight for Humanitarianism, Tolerance, and Justice; Personal Sacrifice for Family; and Miracles Versus Reality
• Return to Sender on SuperSummary

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales

• A middle grade/teen novel featuring a girl who must find the courage to leave her family while keeping their traditions close to her heart
• Connects to the themes of Personal Sacrifice for Family and Miracles Versus Reality
• The Tequila Worm on SuperSummary