Collections Grade 11 Guiding Questions

Collection 1

“Balboa” by Sabina Murray

Read the short story “Balboa” by Sabina Murray. Then, reread the lines indicated
with each question below. Mark the text in the e-book that will support you’re
answer each question; you do not need to write out long answers.

1. Lines 1–14: What is one of Balboa’s character traits? What does this trait suggest
about theme?
2. Lines 1–14: Consider the point at which the action in the story begins. What
narrative device does Murray use to sequence plot events in these lines? Why did
Murray begin the story this way?
3. Lines 17–38: Which lines show Balboa is aware of the discrepancy between who
he is and how he wants to be known? What terms in the texts describe how
Balboa would like others to see him?
4. Lines 49–51: Pay attention to what Balboa does when he hears the twig snapping.
What does Balboa’s reaction suggest about his character? What might the reader
infer about the theme?
5. Lines 76–80: Which lines function as a transition to the flashback? What sentence
begins the flashback? What past-tense verbs signal that this scene is a flashback?
6. Lines 104–126: What is Balboa’s reason for naming his dog Leoncico? What can you
infer about his motive? What does this suggest about the theme?
7. Lines 120–126: Which lines explain how Balboa first met Enciso?
8. Lines 158–160: How does the image of Balboa and Leoncico contribute to the
development of the theme?
9. Lines 152–166: Where does the flashback begin in these lines? What is the conflict
between Balboa and the monk?
10. Lines 171–180: What textual evidence reveals what Balboa thinks of the Indians
and his strategy in dealing with them?
11. Lines 182–183: What might be foreshadowed by the monk’s curse in these lines?
12. Lines 210–219: How does the flash forward at the end of this story affect the
story’s overall meaning and aesthetic impact?