Characterization
Which statement best describes the protagonist’s conflicting motivations?
a) She wishes to escape oppression in Nigeria but stay near her son’s memory.
b) She wants to be reunited with her husband but wants him to stop his journalism.
c) She wants to leave her husband but needs his support in this difficult situation.
d) She wishes to return to her work as a journalist but is fearful of the government.
a) She wishes to escape oppression in Nigeria but stay near her son’s memory.
How do the flashbacks create a sense of mystery in the story?
Because the reader doesn't know the causes of such dramatic events yet.
If a captain flogs a sailor, is the sailor embarrassed or injured? Explain.
Probably both but more towards injured.
To flog someone is to whip them as punishment. The sailor is going to get injured and at the same time, embarrassed if it were done in public.
In paragraphs 2 and 9 the same image is repeated. What is this image?
The Red palm oil
Have most of the events described since the first paragraph take place before or after the main character stood in line at the Embassy?
Before
Which quote from the selection best illustrates the protagonist’s internal struggle about
her husband?
a) Everyone supportive of the pro-democracy press knew about her husband. (paragraph 33)
b) She had found that stammer endearing years ago; she no longer did. (paragraph 33)
c) You will not believe what this boy did today, she would say when he came home from work. (paragraph 39)
d) She told him not to worry, she and Ugonna would be fine, she would apply for a visa at the end of the school term and they would join him in America. (paragraph 43)
b) She had found that stammer endearing years ago; she no longer did. (paragraph 33)
Which statement best describes the effect that the flashback to the killing of the protagonist’s son has on the selection?
a) It enables the reader to predict what will happen next.
b) It provides a contrast between the settings of the city and the village.
c) It indicates that the story will be told through the thoughts of the protagonist.
d) It reveals the motivation for the protagonist to go to the American embassy.
d) It reveals the motivation for the protagonist to go to the American embassy.
I am compiling a list to go shopping.
Is the word compile used correctly in the above sentence?
YES
Which two inferences can be made about Nigerian government and society based on
this selection?
There is violence and political unrest.
The people do not trust the government.
The government/ soldiers treat people like animals
There is a sudden shift in realization that shifts the character's actions or understanding. By referring to paragraphs 50 and onwards.. where and what is this realization?
Paragraph 50: And she would die gladly before she could say a word to the interviewer about Ugonna.
Paragraph 51: They do not deserve to know
They might not care about her struggles, her pain, or her misery.. she is just another number to them.
Based on the protagonist’s conflicting motivations, Which two excerpts from the selection best support her wish to escape but yet stay near her son? (You can choose 2 answers)
a) The day before, she had driven her husband in the boot of their Toyota to the home of a friend, who smuggled him out of the country. (paragraph 10)
b) “Me, I am applying for a visitor’s visa. My brother lives in Texas and I want to go for a holiday.” (paragraph 28)
c) “I need some evidence that you will be in danger if you stay on in Nigeria.” (paragraph 57)
d) She wanted to go back to their ancestral hometown. . . . [S]he wanted to arrange the sucked flowers side by side, like Ugonna had done with his LEGO blocks. (paragraph 60)
C & D
Refer to paragraph 43. Where is the protagonist's husband? How are her husband's actions linked to her son's death?
Because her husband published a story that criticized the government, so he fled to Benin Republic. The soldiers planned to detain him, arrest him, and probably kill him. However, he escaped, and they killed Ugonna.
How might hearing a denunciation of someone change or affect your view of someone?
I might develop a negative view of that person
Why is the image of the red palm oil repeated several times across the story?
To indicate that it is a painful reminder to the main character. It will likely affect her for the rest of her life
Refer to paragraphs 59 and 60. Which phrase/phrases are repeated more than 3 times?
What is the significance of this repetition?
The main character is seeking a new life at the embassy to protect herself and join her husband, but it is the opposite of the new life she had embraced as Ugonna's mother.
Are the woman's priorities similar or different from those of her husband?
Explain and support.
Similar in terms that they both love and have a passion for journalism but different because she gave it up for building a family and he continued and even dismissed or forgot family affairs for his job. (his behavior at the wedding - paragraph 41)
Which statement best describes how the protagonist’s actions at the end of the selection show her sense of honor?
a) She becomes nervous and leaves to seek medical attention.
b) She tells the interviewer that she has decided to remain in Nigeria.
c) She refuses to sacrifice the memory of her son in order to get a visa.
d) She is angered by the attitude of the interviewer toward the visa applicant.
c) She refuses to sacrifice the memory of her son in order to get a visa
is ostentatious a synonym for flamboyant or swagger?
Ostentatious means to be pretentious, showy, flamboyant and not overly confident or strut and prance
In paragraph 33, what does the look of the excited messiah suggest? What does it mean to use this specific term"messiah"
(a leader regarded as the saviour of a particular country, group, or cause.)
the protagonist’s husband sees himself as a liberator, sacrificing his safety to
combat corruption
Juxtaposition is a type of figurative language technique that involves placing two contrasting ideas near each other so that readers compare and contrast them.
Read the juxtaposition at the end of paragraph 25 and the beginning of paragraph 26.
How do the man's questions present a contrast to her thoughts?
He is talking about mundane, day-to-day concerns while she is thinking about a horrific, life-changing experience.
Which sentence from the selection best conveys the protagonist’s reaction to her son Ugonna’s death?
a) Two days ago she had buried her child in a grave near a vegetable patch in their ancestral hometown of Umunnachi, surrounded by well-wishers she did not remember now. (paragraph 10)
b) It was his talking that made it harder to keep her mind blank, free of Ugonna.
(paragraph 11)
c) Then the gun went off and the palm oil splash appeared on Ugonna’s chest. (paragraph 17)
d) She held Ugonna’s body, placed her cheek to his quiet chest, and realized that she had never felt so ashamed. (paragraph 25)
She held Ugonna’s body, placed her cheek to his quiet chest, and realized that she had never felt so ashamed. (paragraph 25)
Which statement best describes how the author, Adichie, develops the plot of the selection?
a) Adichie reveals the protagonist's inner thoughts.
b) Adichie describes the American embassy in detail.
c) Adichie tells the story from a first-person point of view.
d) Adichie uses the techniques of allusion and foreshadowing.
a) Adichie reveals the protagonist's inner thoughts.
Asylum is to safety as trivial is to ???
Frivolous, unimportant
The author includes many references in the story to traditional Nigerian agricultural products, providing readers with vivid imagery and a rich sense of setting and culture.
By referring to paragraphs 12,17,18,24,25...
List 5 items the writer mentions!
Pepper soup, oranges, palm oil, mango tree, plantain peels
Juxtaposition is a type of figurative language technique that involves placing two contrasting ideas near each other so that readers compare and contrast them.
Read the juxtaposition mentioned at the end of paragraph 17 and the beginning of paragraph 18.
Why do these swift changes from one period of time to another help illustrate the main character's struggles?
The protagonist/ She struggles to concentrate on the present situation in line because her memories are so strong.