Adv. English 8 Semester 2 Finals - HOUR OF THE BEES
Why is Carolina uneasy when they arrive at the ranch?
Because everything looked dead and there was no grass. Also because she is going to be with a grandfather who she never met
Why is Carolina surprised when her father saves Luis from the rattlesnake?
Because she did not know that her father knew how to get a rattlesnake away
What is the real reason that Patricia is upset when Alta arrives at the ranch with a new car?
Because she did not want her daughter to be spoiled by her ex husband, she believed that she should work at it herself. She didn't want to believe that Raul was being a nice father
What happened to the lake in Serge's story?
Bees came by each took a drop away from the lake, drying it up
Description of Alta
Comes off as rude, snarky, nonchalant Always on her phone Claims she doesn't like Carol/her side of the family
What does each villager want so that they can remain safe while traveling?
Something made from the tree bark
Why does Raul burn the barn down?
Termites had infested the wood
What is the imagery in Serge's story similar to?
The Garden of Eden
What does Serge's story center around, and why is that important?
The magical tree; it eventually gets cut down even though it was the central piece of the village
When Rosa travelled, what did Serge do?
He took care of the sheep as normal, but he slept outside each night to wait for her
Where did Carolina and Serge land after the car wreck?
In a lake at the ranch
Why is measuring time so important to Serge?
In his village, time wasn't really important concept - so he needed his own personal way to measure time
What starts to happen to the villagers that travelled and why is that important?
They began to die; this shows that the power of the tree was beginning to stop working since they cut it down
Why do the villagers take more and more of the tree?
They need to protect themselves from the elements of the outside world, and become greedy
What is the real mission of the summer and why is it important?
To get the ranch in good enough shape to sell it; this could be viewed as Raul further "spitting on his roots" (he's getting rid of the last part of his family's past)
Why is the family going to the ranch?
To move Serge to an assisted living home - the Seville
Description of Raul
Tries to bury himself in work so he doesn't have to deal with Serge Hides the fact that he doesn't really want to sell the ranch Blames Serge for his Mom's (Rosa) death
Description of Patricia (Mom)
Trying to keep everything together Stressed a lot of the time Is a nurse
What else does Carolina take from the closet?
A seed
What did Serge promise Rosa as a wedding gift?
A trip outside of the village ("a honeymoon to see the world")
What does Serge associate with both Carolina and Rosa?
bees
What happened to Ines the night before they leave for the city?
She dies
When Carolina returns to school, what is different about her?
She doesn't really want to follow the crowd anymore - she starts to realize what is important and what is not
Why is Carolina so disappointed with her school clothes?
She doesn't think that she (her body) looks good in them
On the mission to find the missing sheep, what does Carolina learn?
She learns that her Grandma Rosa died of cancer, and that all the bumps on Serge's face were bee stings.
When Rosa returns from her travels, she captures the imagination of the village by doing what?
She tells them stories about how her bracelet protected her and shows them souvenirs from her travels
On moving day, what change is the most obvious in Carolina?
She wants to stay at the ranch, and for it not to sell
Why has Alta been so awful all summer?
She was jealous of how close and familiar Carol was with the rest of her family
What does Serge give Alta, and why is this important?
A bracelet like Carol's; it shows that Alta really is a part of the family
What did Serge give to Rosa to protect her during her travels?
A bracelet made of tree bark from the village tree
What does Carolina pick from the closet to keep, and why does Raul approve of it?
A bracelet; it was Rosa's, and Raul says that Carol is beginning to look so much like her.
Based on Serge's story, describe Rosa's personality.
Adventurous, fiery, not willing settle for less
Which character calls a sheep a "dramatic bleeder?"
Carol
What is important about the sun cakes?
Carol had believed that Raul had come up with the recipe, when really it was Serge who made them for Raul as a kid
Description of Carol
Going into 7th grade Likes listening to Serge's story Feels a lot of pressure to fit in + meet expectations
Description of Serge
Has dementia Is waiting for the bees to return the rain Wants to tell Carol about his story/life
What has the rain at the ranch brought forth in Serge?
He accepted his mortality, and became okay with dying
What does Serge mean when he asks both Carolina and Raul, "why do you spit on your roots?"
He is asking them why they aren't embracing their culture
In both the novel and Serge's story, describe Serge's perception of time.
It goes by extremely slow, and he uses the number of sheep he sheared to count time
What is the relationship like between Carolina and Alta?
It is a very tense relationship because some days Alta is nice and then the other days Alta is moody
Why is it so important to Carolina that Serge sees the rain?
It's important because at the start of summer he repeated "No rain for 100 years". She wants him to see his dream come true
What is Raul's version of the end of the story, and what does it explain?
Rosa becomes sick, but Serge refuses to take her to a hospital; it explains the reason for the tension between the two
What is the biggest difference between Rosa and Serge in the story?
Rosa wants to leave the village, but Serge wants to stay
What is the real ending to Serge's story?
Rosa was the one who refused to go to the hospital
Describe the relationship between Serge and Raul.
Serge and Raul are very tense w/ each other, Raul is nervous around Serge, they aren't close
What is Serge's reaction to the real estate agent and why is that important?
Serge urgently wants the agents to leave. He feels that his property (ranch) is being invaded. Important because Serge has a protective stance when it comes to one of the things he loves, the ranch. He doesn't want people who don't appreciate its roots to be on it.
Why is the process of cleaning out Rosa's closet important?
The family is moving on from the loss of Rosa
How does the story "begin again?"
The family moves back to the ranch, and Carol starts telling the story to Luis, her baby brother.
Describe the conditions at the ranch.
Very dry and no green grass, hot, drought, lonely, little to no modern technology, difficult
What is Serge's diagnosis?
dementia
