The Tequila Worm

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In The Tequila Worm, Sofia’s family celebrates several holidays.

• Which holiday celebration was your favorite and why? (topic sentence)
• Identify two traditions that Sofia’s family observes during this holiday and explain why you liked them.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, describe how you and your family celebrate this or a similar holiday.

2. The Tequila Worm is a coming-of-age novel.

• What is a coming-of-age novel? (topic sentence)
• Identify at least three ways that The Tequila Worm fits into the coming-of-age genre. Use text evidence to strengthen your points of discussion.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how Sofia’s story is similar to that of the average teenager.

3. The cover of The Tequila Worm is colorful and busy, but it also represents important symbols in the book.

• What symbols are on the cover of the book? (topic sentence)
• Explain what each symbol means in the context of the story. Use text evidence to strengthen your points of discussion.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how these symbols connect to one or more of the story’s themes.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The importance of storytelling is a central idea in The Tequila Worm. Why do you think the author begins the book with Doña Clara and her bag of storytelling props? In what ways does her appearance set up the story? Why do you think Clara has no items in her bag when she can no longer speak, and what do the invisible items tell us about The Importance of Tradition and Culture? As you compose your essay, incorporate at least three quoted phrases from the text that strengthen your points of discussion. Cite your quotations with page numbers.

2. In The Tequila Worm, Sofia is more like her father than her mother. In order to convince Mamá to allow her to attend Saint Luke’s, Papá suggests that Sofia communicate with her mother in ways she can understand. He tells Sofia that her mother “needs to see and hear things; she can’t sense things in silence, like we can” (Chapter 9). What does Papá mean when he says this? How does this describe both Mamá and Sofia in relation to Papá? How does this observation connect to the theme of The Community’s Role in Encouraging Growth and Shaping Identity? As you compose your essay, incorporate at least two quoted phrases from the text that strengthen your points of discussion. Cite your quotations with page numbers.

3. In her book, Viola Canales emphasizes the importance of belonging to a community, of having a web of comadres and compadres. Choose two characters and identify at least three ways in which the community steps up to support them. Describe each situation in detail. Why were the characters unable to move forward without support from the community? How do these plot details connect to one or more of the book’s themes? As you compose your essay, incorporate at least three quoted phrases from the text that strengthen your points of discussion. Cite your quotations with page numbers.