Usually we hang out at Jerome’s or Dylan’s house. Jerome’s parents work long hours. So at Jerome’s house it’s just us guys hanging out in his den and playing video games. Jerome calls the den “his castle,” and I believe him, too, because when we’re at his house, we’re left alone to play video games, watch TV, and eat pizza out of the box without any interference from his family.

At my house . . . well, let’s just say that life at my house is a lot livelier. Some might describe it as hectic or chaotic. My mother likes to call it spirited; my father says it is boisterous. My abuela (grandmother) who lives with us says our house is like a little bit of Puerto Rico in the middle of Illinois.

What is the cultural context of this passage?


The reading takes place in modern times. The setting is in the American Midwest. The narrator is teenager and his heritage is Puerto Rican.


The reading takes place in modern times. The setting is in Puerto Rico. The narrator is left alone to play video games.


The reading takes place in modern times. The setting is a lively village in Puerto Rico. The narrator lives in a castle.


The reading takes place in the future. The setting is the narrator's abuela's house, which is in the American South.