Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

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

Part 1, Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. In what year and in what city does the novel open?

2. At what kind of organization does Ari’s mother want him to volunteer?

3. How many older siblings does Ari have?

4. What device did both Ari and Dante both grow up without?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is the first section titled “The Different Rules of Summer”? What does it refer to?

2. What are some reasons why Ari is initially drawn to Dante?

Paired Resource

“Benjamin Alire Sáenz Has Something to Say About Love”

• In this brief video from El Paso Inc., the author reads an excerpt from Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World that discusses the meaning and nature of love.
• Connects to the theme of The Mystery of Love
• In the opening section of the novel, where do you see the kind of love the author talks about in this clip? How does Part 1 set the stage for characters to experience an expansive sort of love?

Part 1, Chapters 7-12

Reading Check

1. What is one of the first things that Dante notices about Ari’s room?

2. What did Ari’s father study before enlisting in the Marines?

3. What activity do Dante’s parents take Dante and Ari to the desert to do?

Short Answer

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

1. What incident makes Ari realize that he is “harder” than Dante?

2. Describe the key differences between how Ari and Dante feel about their Mexican heritage.

Part 2

Reading Check

1. In his fever dream, what type of animal falls down on Ari like rain, covering him in blood?

2. When Ari’s mother will not allow him to go outside, what does Ari accuse his mother of being?

3. Why does Ari wish that he was “like air”?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Dante refuse to show Ari the drawing he sketched of Ari while he was asleep? What does it imply about their relationship?

Paired Resource

“On Rudolfo Anaya’s Expansive, Aching View of Childhood”

• In this section of the novel, Ari’s mother reads a classic 1972 work of Chicano literature, Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.
• Poet Erika Sánchez traces the adventures and losses in the book, and especially its take on the Chicano experience of childhood.
• What does it say about Ari’s mother that she is reading Bless Me, Ultima? What does it mean, potentially, for her relationship with Ari?

Part 3

Reading Check

1. When Ari wakes from the accident, what does his father tell him?

2. What is the name of Ari’s surgeon?

3. What two classic works of literature does Dante bring Ari while Ari recovers from his accident?

4. What is Ari’s nickname for his wheelchair?

Short Answer

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

1. Throughout Part 3, the Mendozas, the Quintanas, the doctors, and the hospital staff all praise Ari’s bravery, but he does not take their compliments well. Why is that?

Part 4, Chapters 1-15

Reading Check

1. What is the “icebreaker” question that Mr. Blocker asks his students in English class?

2. What present does Ari receive for his 16th birthday from his parents?

3. What is the name of the girl whom Dante tells Ari he kissed at a party?

Short Answer

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

1. How would you describe the differences between Dante and Ari in terms of their communication style in this section of the novel?

Paired Resource

Epistolary Fiction

• This brief article explains the effectiveness of using documents like letters in fiction. For a few epistolary YA novels, try this list.
• What do you learn about Ari and Dante’s relationship through their letters to one another that you might not learn if the novel were written in another way?

Part 4, Chapters 16-31

Reading Check

1. What does Ari name his new dog?

2. Where does Ari get a part-time job?

3. Why does Ari kick Charlie Escobedo out of his house?

Short Answer

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

1. When Dante admits that he someday wants to “marry a boy,” how does Ari react to this admission?

Part 5

Reading Check

1. When Dante’s mom comes back from Chicago, what does Ari notice about her looks?

2. What two rules do Ari and Dante make for one another?

3. Where does Dante get a summer job?

Short Answer

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

1. What does rain symbolize, throughout the novel but especially in Part 5? Cite evidence from the text.

Paired Resource

“#VelshiBannedBookClub: Benjamin Alire Sáenz and the Secrets of the Universe”

• In this 8-minute video interview, author Benjamin Alire Sáenz discusses some of the reasons that led him to write Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. He also discusses his personal struggles in coming to terms with his own sexuality, coming out as a gay man at the age of 54.
• Connects to the themes of The Power of Art and Literature and Society’s Conventions and Overcoming Shame
• What aspects of the author’s biographical story do you see reflected in the book? Especially as a gay man of Mexican heritage, why did he feel it was important to tell Ari and Dante’s story?

Part 6, Chapters 1-10

Reading Check

1. What reason does Ari give Mr. Quintana for why Dante didn’t tell him he is gay?

2. What is the name of the boy who beat up Dante, whom Ari later confronts in an alley?

3. What type of injury sends Dante to the hospital?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Ari’s mother reveal about his brother Bernardo? Why does it bring Ari peace?

Part 6, Chapters 11-21

Reading Check

1. What does Ari tell Mrs. Quintana that Julian must do before Ari pays for Julian’s broken nose?

2. What thought was running through Dante’s mind when he was kissing Daniel?

3.  Ari’s dad tells him about a soldier in Vietnam who was left behind in a skirmish. What was this man’s name?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Ari’s relationship with his parents deepen by the end of the novel? What evidence reveals how their relationship has changed?

Recommended Next Reads

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

• Puerto Rican teenager Juliet comes out as a lesbian to her family in the Bronx just before heading off to an internship in Portland, Oregon in this YA novel about a young woman struggling to find her identity and place in the world.
• Like Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Juliet Takes a Breath is also set in the 1980s, deals with LGBTQ+ representation of Latinx teenagers, and highlights relationships that are formed over a shared love of art and culture.
• Shared themes include The Power of Art and Literature.
• Juliet Takes a Breath on SuperSummary

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

• In this dystopian YA novel published in 2017, two teenagers—Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio—learn that they have 24 hours to live. Though strangers, they decide to spend their final day together and, in the process, learn a great deal about themselves and the nature of love.
• This novel deals with similar themes as Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe, including The Mystery of Love and Society’s Conventions and Overcoming Shame.
• They Both Die at the End on SuperSummary