History
Who ruled India during the 1920s
Britian
How does the reader know the story is a memoir?
The author is looking back and remembering a specific memory.
What does the headmistress name the narrator of the story?
Cynthia
In the story Santha struggles with being named Cynthia by the headmistress, this is a theme related to
Identity
What is a siesta?
An afternoon nap
What did the headmistress name the narrator's sister?
Pamela
Why did the headmistress change the girls' names?
She doesn't think Indian names are as pretty or as nice as English names.
When the author describes what the school looks like, is it an Indian design, British design, or both?
Both
The Indians bringing sandwiches rather than traditional Indian food to lunch shows the theme of...
Wanting to fit in
What is a memoir?
What did the narrator's father do?
He was an officer of the civil service.
What can you infer about the headmistress when she refuses to learn Santha and Premila's names?
She thinks she's better than them because she's British and they are from India
The girl sitting next to the narrator wears a cotton dress (British culture) but Indian jewelry. What does this show?
She is assimilating to English dress and trying to fit in, but is still Indian at the end.
When the teacher asked the narrator her name, why did she say she didn't know?
She didn't know how to answer because she had been given a new one and has her own name.
What is an ayah
What was different between the typical Indian school's look and the one the narrator attended?
It had an Indian veranda but was painted dark brown.
Who can you infer is the most outspoken about the mistreatment of the Indian people? Santha, Premila, or their mother?
Premila. She leaves school when she is mistreated and refuses to return.
Why didn't the girls mother send them to school until she got sick?
She thought the British do not teach the Indian's about their native culture and they are narrowminded.
What does the fact that the narrator doesn't understand British rules of the game imply?
She does not understand the culture and feels like an outsider.
What is a sari?
Long piece of cloth wrapped around the body that forms a long skirt and wraps over the shoulder.
Why didn't the narrator know the word apple?
It wasn't native to India
Premila makes the decision to leave school when she is mistreated, what can we assume about her because of this?
Even though she tried to fit in, she would not tolerate being mistreated
How does the teacher discriminate against the Indian students?
She makes them sit in the back of the room with a desk between each one because she thinks they will cheat on their test.
At the end of the story, the narrator says that these things happened to Cynthia, and not her. Does she actually mean that?
No. By writing this story you can see she was affected by this experience.
What does it mean to assimilate?
cause (something) to resemble; liken.