What bothers the passengers riding on the bus with Eliot and Mrs. Sen?
The smell of the fish coming from Mrs. Sen's bag
100
Where is Mrs. Sen from? (Be specific)
Calcutta, India
100
How does Mrs. Sen cooking fish all the time portray the theme of role of food?
She cooks fish all the time because it reminds her of Calcutta. "Mrs. Sen said she had grown up eating fish twice a day. She added that in Calcutta people ate fish first thing in the morning, last thing before bed, as a snack after school if they were lucky" (123).
100
Identify the literary device within this quote: "Both smiled with their mouths closed, squinting into the wind, Mrs. Sen's red sari leaping like flames under her coat" (130).
Simile
100
Identify one of the two things that makes Mrs. Sen happy.
"One was the arrival of a letter from her family" (121)
"The other thing that made Mrs. Sen happy was fish from the seaside" (123).
200
Why did Mrs. Linden get fired as Eliot's baby-sitter?
"Mrs. Linden's thermos contained more whiskey than coffee" (111).
200
What skill is Mrs. Sen unable to do?
Drive a car
200
What theme is portrayed on page 112 and explain.
Cultural differences--"She wore a shimmering white sari patterned with orange paisleys, more quotable for an evening affair than for that quiet, faintly drizzling August afternoon."
200
Identify 1 example of imagery on page 127.
various answers
200
What shoes do the Sen's wear?
flip flops
300
What does the aerogram (letter) that Mrs. Sen receives from her sister say?
She had a baby girl
300
What is Mr. Sen's job?
He is a mathematics professor
300
Identify an example of the theme of cultural differences on page 113.
Mrs. Sen tells Eliot that at home (in India) they have drivers.
300
Why is it ironic that Mrs. Sen gets into a car accident?
It is ironic that Mrs. Sen gets into a car accident because she is afraid of driving because her grandfather died in a car accident.
300
What word does Mrs. Sen pronounce incorrectly?
Beethoven--she pronounces it as "bee" rather than "bay"
400
Why does Eliot think the picture he takes of Mr. and Mrs. Sen look strange?
"Eliot looked through the time window in the camera and waited for Mr. and Mrs. Sen to move closer together, but they didn't. They didn't hold hands or put their arms around each other's waists" (130).
400
How old is Mrs. Sen?
"She was about 30" (112).
400
Find an example of the role of food on page 114-115.
Mrs. Sen uses the blade from India to chop her vegetables. It makes her think of her life in India and how everyone would gather together in "an enormous circle on the roof of [their] building, laughing and gossiping and slicing fifty kilos of vegetables" every time their was a celebration or wedding.
400
Name one item that symbolizes Calcutta for Mrs. Sen.
Blade, fish, sari, powder on her head
400
Name 3 vegetables Mrs. Sen chops on the living room floor.
cauliflower, cabbage, butternut squash, potatoes, cucumber, eggplant, and onions
500
What does Eliot not need by the end of the short story?
A babysitter
500
Where is Eliot's father?
"His father, the last she had hear, live two thousand miles west" (113).
500
Identify an example of the theme of cultural differences on page 117.
Mrs. Sen's "braided hair, which was shaded with crushed vermilion and therefore appeared to be blushing."
500
Find two similes on page 114.
"Mrs. Sen's apartment was warm, sometimes too warm; the radiators continuously hissed like a pressure cooker."
"Instead of a knife she used a blade that curved like the prow of a Viking ship, sailing to battle in distant seas."
500
What kind of food does Mrs. Sen prepare for Eliot in order to occupy him while she chops vegetables?
"In order to occupy Eliot she supplied him with the comics section of the newspaper, and crackers spread with peanut butter, and sometimes a Popsicle, or carrot sticks sculpted with her blade" (115).