The House on Mango Street Close Reading Analysis of Bums in the Attic

Support the development of high school close reading skills with this set of analysis questions for The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros with emphasis on the vignette titled “Bums in the Attic.” The variety of question types also helps students prepare for standardized testing scenarios: main idea questions, detail questions, author’s craft questions, and more. An answer key is included. Materials are delivered in Word Document and PDF formats.

This resource may serve as the basis for small-group discussions. Through these discussions, students decode language and pose/respond to questions relating to plot, broad topics, and character development, demonstrating an ability to analyze how complex characters transform and advance the plot and themes by applying logic and citing compelling, meaningful textual evidence. They will also evaluate their peers’ reasoning and use of rhetoric to advance claims, clarifying or challenging unclear ideas. Using this resource for structured guidance, students, ultimately, will present information, conclusions, and supporting textual evidence clearly, concisely, and appropriately, thereby helping their peers comprehend their thinking.

Copyright restrictions do not allow for novel content to be included, so the purchaser is responsible for providing students with the text.

By completing this exercise, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly
• Analyze how complex characters develop and interact
• Explore character motivations
• Apply knowledge of dramatic irony to the vignette
• Apply knowledge of hyperbole to the vignette
• Analyze the author’s craft to discern an accurate interpretation of text
• Identify the best textual evidence in support of a claim
• Discern the main function of the vignette