Isabel's Texas Two-Step (16 page)

Trivialicious Trivia

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Texas Trivia

A Dilly of a 'Dillo

Isabel's Spanish-English Dictionary

1. What happens to Aunt Inez's eagle statue?
   
   • A. It comes to life.
     
   • B. Mercedes steals it.
     
   • C. Isabel and Ricardo break the tip of its wing.
     
   • D. Nothing
     
2. What is the name of the art gallery where Isabel meets Xochitl?
   
   • A. The Mauve Squirrel
     
   • B. The Blue Turtle
     
   • C. The Green Flamingo
     
   • D. The Red Cat
     
3. What does the rooster's name mean in English?
   
   • A. Friendly
     
   • B. Funky
     
   • C. Fluffy
     
   • D. Freckles
     
4. What has Mrs. Martinez been making for Elena Maria's
   quinceañera
   ?
   
   • A. Cookies
     
   • B. Party hats
     
   • C. Origami animals
     
   • D. Photo frames
     
5. What kind of instrument does Ricardo play?
   
   • A. Drums
     
   • B. Accordion
     
   • C. Clarinet
     
   • D. Maracas
     
6. What is the name of Ricardo's horse?
   
   • A. Silver
     
   • B. Rasquatch
     
   • C. Trigger
     
   • D. Hidalgo
     
7. What do Ricardo and Isabel find in the cave?
   
   • A. A family of armadillos
     
   • B. A secret tunnel
     
   • C. Buried treasure
     
   • D. Painted pictographs
     
8. How did Isabel's parents meet?
   
   • A. At a dance
     
   • B. In a class at school
     
   • C. In a coffee shop
     
   • D. At a science-fiction convention
     
9. How does Scott save Elena Maria's
   quinceañera
   ?
   
   • A. He sings for her when the band quits.
     
   • B. He bakes the cake after the cooks quit.
     
   • C. He fixes her dress after it rips.
     
   • D. He builds a platform for her to stand on.
     
10. What does Elena Maria give to Isabel?
    
    • A. Her last doll
      
    • B. A Frida Kahlo painting
      
    • C. Her old shoes
      
    • D. Flowers
      

ANSWERS: 1. C.
Isabel and Ricardo break the tip of its wing.
2. B.
The Blue Turtle
3. D.
Freckles
4. C.
Origami animals
5. B.
Accordion
6. B.
Rasquatch
7. D.
Painted pictographs
8. A.
At a dance
9. B.
He bakes the cake after the cooks quit.
10. A.
Her last doll

10 Q
UESTIONS FOR
Y
OU AND
Y
OUR
F
RIENDS TO
C
HAT
A
BOUT

1. The
   quinceañera
   is a birthday tradition in Mexican culture. Does your culture have any birthday traditions? Does your family have any special birthday traditions?
   
2. Isabel and Ricardo admit to breaking the eagle statue because they are afraid that Mercedes will get in trouble for it. Have you ever been in a situation where you could have let someone else take the blame for your actions? What did you do? If you've never been in a situation like that, what would you do if you were?
   
3. Isabel gets upset when Elena Maria and her friends ignore her or make fun of her. If you have siblings, what do you do when
   they are with their friends and you are feeling excluded?
   
4. No one in Isabel's family knew that her mother could make origami and
   papel picado
   until she revealed it at Elena Maria's
   quinceañera
   . Do you have any hidden talents?
   
5. Ricardo and Isabel get into big trouble when they leave the party without telling anyone. If you were in Isabel's place, would you have left the party with Ricardo? Why or why not?
   
6. Even though Isabel's mother suffers from multiple sclerosis, it's important to her to take an active role in planning for her daughter's big party. Do you know anyone with a serious illness? How do they cope with it? If it affects you, how do you cope with it?
   
7. Ricardo plays the accordion because of its role in conjunto music, which is an important part of his Mexican heritage. Do you play any instruments? How are they significant to you or your heritage?
   
8. Isabel admires artists like Frida Kahlo and Cesar Guerrero. Who do you admire and why?
   
9. Aunt Inez took complete control over Elena Maria's quinceañera, even though she's only Elena Maria's aunt. What would you have done? Have you ever had to deal with a control freak? How did you deal?
   
10. When Ricardo and Isabel find the paintings in the cave, they don't tell anyone right away. Do you think this was the right thing to do? What would you have done?
    

An Ancient People

The Coahuiltecans were actually a large group made up of many different Native American tribes, all of whom inhabited Texas and parts of northern Mexico. The name “Coahuilteca” was based on the name of the area of Mexico, called Coahuila, that many of the tribes lived in.

On the Move

The Coahuiltecans were nomadic, meaning that they traveled from place to place in search of food. As hunter-gatherers, they hunted for animals and gathered wild plants to eat as they moved. Only men hunted for deer, but both men and women fished. To catch fish they would use nets, bows and arrows, or just their hands!

Mission: Alamo

The Alamo, originally called the Mission San Antonio de Valero, was built in 1722. Before it was used as a military fort, it functioned as a church. Today, the Alamo is a museum, and a group called the Daughters of the Republic of Texas is responsible for its maintenance and upkeep.

A Royal History

The city of San Antonio started out as a small settlement called the Royal Presidio of San Antonio de Béjar (try saying that three times fast!). It was established in 1718, and was originally designed to defend the Mission San Antonio de Valero—aka, the Alamo.

Saintly Origins

San Antonio is named after Saint Anthony of Padua. On June 13, 1619, Spanish explorers celebrated Saint Anthony's feast day in the area. They named it San Antonio, which is Spanish for Saint Anthony, in honor of the saint.

Art Alert

The church at Mission Concepción is the only mission church in San Antonio that has never been seriously damaged as a result of bad weather. Because of this, it still contains some of the original frescos that were painted inside of it when it was first built more than 250 years ago!

My Kind of Party!

San Antonians hold a superhuge celebration called Fiesta San Antonio every year in April. The Fiesta lasts for ten whole days and is full of parades, carnivals, feasts, and art exhibits!

Texan-in-Chief

Four U.S. presidents were Texans: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

Lone but Not Lonely

Texas's nickname, “The Lone Star State,” comes from the design of the state flag, which shows a single five-pointed star.

Saddle Up!

America's first-ever rodeo was held in Pecos, Texas, on July 4, 1883, when a couple of cowboys decided to find out who could rope calves and ride bulls and broncos the best. When more cowboys found out about the competition, they joined right in. Pretty soon, people were lining up to watch! Every summer, the town of Pecos still holds an annual rodeo. Yee-haw!