The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

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

PART 1, INTRODUCTION-CHAPTER 2

Reading Check

1. What is a fukú?

2. Where does Oscar de León live?

3. Who is Lola?

4. Who is the narrator of Chapter 2?

Short Answer

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

1. In what way does the narrator present Oscar as unusual for a Dominican man?

2. Who is Ana Obregón? Why does Oscar stop spending time with her?

Paired Resource

“Machismo and the Broken Man”

• This article discusses the dangers of masculinity or “machismo” in Dominican culture.
• It connects to the theme of The Damage Caused by Personal and Political Masculinity.
• How does cultural masculinity impact men and women in different ways? How is masculinity portrayed thus far in Díaz’s story?

PART 1, CHAPTER 3

Reading Check

1. Who is Belicia Cabral?

2. What does La Inca do for a living?

3. What does La Inca do to help Belicia when she is abducted?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Belicia end up an orphan?

2. How is La Inca related to Belicia? Why does she take Belicia in?

Paired Resource

“What is Generational Trauma?”

• This Health.com article discusses generational trauma from a psychological perspective.
• It connects to the theme of The Use of Fantasy and Science Fiction to Explain Generational Trauma.
• What are some of the generational traumas experienced by the Cabral-de León clan? How can these traumas be explained psychologically?

PART 1, CHAPTER 4

Reading Check

1. When does Yunior meet Lola?

2. What genres does Oscar write in for his novels?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Yunior offer to live with Oscar after he tries to die by suicide?

2. Why do people start referring to Oscar as “Oscar Wao” in Chapter 4?

3. Who is Jenni Muñóz? Why does Oscar trash her room?

PART 2, INTRODUCTION-CHAPTER 5

Reading Check

1. Who is Jacquelyn?

2. What is Abelard arrested for?

3. How does Socorro die?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Lola plan to do with her $2000? Why does she ultimately give the money to Max’s family?

2. Who is Lydia Abenader? How does she advise Abelard to handle his fears for Jacquelyn?

PART 2, CHAPTER 6

Reading Check

1. What does Oscar do after graduating from Rutgers?

2. Who does Lola start dating when she comes back from Japan?

3. What does Ybón Pimentel do for a living?

Short Answer

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

1. Who is “the capitán,” and what does he do to Oscar when he sees him with Ybón?

2. Who is Clives? How does he find Oscar?

Paired Resource

“Police Violence Remains Chronic Struggle in Dominican Republic”

• This article reflects on the continuing issue presented by police violence in the Dominican Republic.
• It connects to the theme of The Damage Caused by Personal and Political Masculinity.
• Why is police violence such a big problem in the Dominican Republic? What political or cultural ideas exacerbate this problem?

“The Disregard for Personal Responsibility in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: One Novel’s Case Study of Dominican Culture”

• This article by Claire Newfeld considers the juxtaposition of personal responsibility and supernatural forces, such as fukú, in the novel.
• It connects to the themes of The Use of Fantasy and Science Fiction to Explain Generational Trauma and Dominican American Identity in the Late-20th Century.
• How does the novel’s emphasis on fukú and family curses undermine the concept of personal responsibility?

PART 3, INTRODUCTION-“The Final Letter”

Reading Check

1. Why do Lola and Yunior separate?

2. Why does Oscar say he needs to borrow money from Yunior?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Ybón avoid Oscar when he comes back to Santo Domingo?

2. What is inside the package that arrives from the Dominican Republic eight months after Oscar’s death?

Recommended Next Reads 

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz

• This collection of short stories explores passion, love, and loss in both the Dominican Republic and the United states. Most of the stories feature Yunior, a character in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
• Shared themes include The Damage Caused by Personal and Political Masculinity and Dominican American Identity in the Late-20th Century.
• Shared topics include Hispanic and Latinx American Literature.   
• This is How You Lose Her on SuperSummary

Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiñonez

• Set in the Latin American community of Spanish Harlem, the novel follows a young man named Chino who knows he needs a good friend, a solid nickname, and a tough reputation to survive. When he meets Willie Bodega—a wealthy, street-smart dreamer and gangster—his life is forever changed, and he finds himself in the middle of a criminal network. 
• Shared themes include Dominican American Identity in the Late-20th Century.
• Shared topics include Hispanic and Latinx American Literature and Coming of Age.     
• Bodega Dreams on SuperSummary