Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Part 1, Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1.1987 in El Paso, Texas (Part 1, Chapter 1)

2. A food bank (Part 1, Chapter 2)

3. Three (Part 1, Chapter 3)

4. A television (Part 1, Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. “The Different Rules of Summer” is a quote that comes from Chapter 2, when Ari says that he loves the different rules of summer while his mother “endured them.” Practically speaking, it refers to how summer is a time when Ari is free from the confines of school; more symbolically, it alludes to the fact that Ari is seeking a different way of living, one that shirks convention. (Part 1, Chapters 1-6)

2. He calls him “funny and focused and fierce.” He also sees Dante as someone who is full of mystery. While Ari feels like a “fraud,” he sees Dante as open and confident. Dante seems to be opening up a new world for Ari, and Ari feels alive inside of Dante’s world. (Part 1, Chapters 1-6)

Part 1, Chapters 7-12

Reading Check

1. There is nothing in it. (Part 1, Chapter 7)

2. Art (Part 1, Chapter 8)

3. Stargazing (Part 1, Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. Dante is furious when he and Ari see boys shooting a bird with a BB gun. He tries to stop them, but the bird dies. When Ari sees Dante crying over the dead bird, he concludes that he is tougher than Dante. (Part 1, Chapter 12)

2. Ari is comfortable with his Mexican heritage, while Dante feels uncomfortable with his. Dante confesses to Ari that he feels out of place among other Mexican people. Though not exactly “ashamed,” Dante feels acute unease over his racial identity. (Part 1, Chapters 7-12)

Part 2

Reading Check

1. Sparrows (Part 2, Chapter 1)

2. A fascist (Part 2, Chapter 3)

3. He wishes he was “necessary and also invisible.” (Part 2, Chapter 7)

Short Answer

1. Dante tells Ari that he will not show Ari the drawing for the same reason Ari won’t tell Dante about his dreams. This comment demonstrates that both Dante and Ari are hiding something about their feelings; it foreshadows how their friendship is evolving into something more romantic. (Part 2)

Part 3

Reading Check

1. That he’s the “bravest boy in the world” (Part 3, Chapter 1)

2. Dr. Charles (Part 3, Chapter 2)

3. The Grapes of Wrath and War and Peace (Part 3, Chapter 3)

4. Fidel (Part 3, Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Ari fears that his instinct to save Dante’s life—at the possible expense of his own—reveals how he truly feels about Dante. Ari’s sexual awakening is complicated by feelings of shame. (Part 3)

Part 4, Chapters 1-15

Reading Check

1. What was the most interesting thing to happen to them over the summer (Part 4, Chapter 2)

2. A cherry-red pickup truck (Part 4, Chapter 6)

3. Emma (Part 4, Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. While Dante’s letters are revealing and honest, Ari avoids writing back to Dante. Dante is effusive; Ari is silent and brooding. (Part 4, Chapters 1-15)

Part 4, Chapters 16-31

Reading Check

1. Legs (Part 4, Chapter 17)

2. A burger restaurant called the Charcoaler (Part 4, Chapter 20)

3. Because Charlie wants to take heroin (Part 4, Chapter 22)

Short Answer

1. Ari is unsure how to respond to Dante. He accepts him, but he feels confused by Dante’s admission. He also is frightened by the similarities that he and Dante share because he doesn’t want his life to be complicated. (Part 4, Chapters 16-31)

Part 5

Reading Check

1. That she looks younger (Part 5, Chapter 1)

2. First, that Dante won’t try to kiss Ari; second, that Ari won’t run away from Dante (Part 5, Chapter 3)

3. A local pharmacy (Part 5, Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Rain symbolizes the transformation of pivotal emotions. It is connected with the revelation of emotional truth. For example, the section ends with Ari thinking to himself that boys like him “belong to the rain,” implying that they are different from most other boys. Ari is beginning to embrace his differences rather than hide them. (Part 5)

Part 6, Chapters 1-10

Reading Check

1. Because Dante didn’t want to disappoint him (Part 6, Chapter 2)

2. Daniel (Part 6, Chapter 4)

3. A concussion (Part 6, Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. Ari’s mother reveals that Bernardo killed a transgender sex worker, and that is why he is imprisoned. Having one of the “secrets of the universe” revealed, Ari can finally feel some peace about his brother. (Part 6, Chapter 7)

Part 6, Chapters 11-21

Reading Check

1. Julian and the other boys must pay for Dante’s hospital stay. (Part 6, Chapter 11)

2. That he was really kissing Ari (Part 6, Chapter 13)

3. Louie (Part 6, Chapter 18)

Short Answer

1. Ari begins to understand that everyone, including his parents, is constantly in a process of change. Evidence of how his relationship with his parents have changed includes the following details: His mother brings Ari a beer; Mr. Mendoza opens up to Ari about what happened in Vietnam; Mr. Mendoza seems to accept Ari’s sexuality. (Part 6, Chapter 18)