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Understanding and Interpreting 5

1. How is the reader expected to interpret the actions of the headmistress when she changes the
girls’ names to English versions (par. 3)? Is she just a silly but mostly harmless figure, or are section one
her actions intentionally mean or racist?
2. At the very beginning of the narrative when the girls have their names changed, the reader
learns a lot about Santha and Premila. How does Rau use characterization to establish the /
differences between the girls, both as they are trying to acclimate to the new school and at the
end of the story?
3. In paragraph 6, Rau quotes her mother’s attitude toward the British: “You can bury a dog’s tail Santha Rama Rau
for seven years and it still comes out curly, and you can take a Britisher away from his home
for a lifetime and he still remains insular.” What does this quotation mean, and how does it
preview other events later in the narrative?
4. What aspects of school are new to Rau, specifically food, clothing, and games? How does she
adjust — or not — to these differences?
5. Throughout the piece, Rau talks about her identity being split into two: Cynthia and Santha.
How does this split seem to affect her? Be sure to examine the final line of the story closely to
support your response.
6. In any community, there are stated rules and unstated rules that individuals are expected to
follow. What are the rules of the school in this narrative? What goals do the headmistress and
the teachers appear to have, especially for the Indian children, and how do those goals lead to
Premila’s decision to leave the school with Santha?
7. What conclusion is the reader expected to draw from the last paragraph? Explain your
response.

Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure

8. Vocabulary in Context. In paragraph 3, Rau uses the word precarious to describe the bun
on the head of the headmistress. What does the word mean in this context, and how does it
help characterize the headmistress? What are other, more common uses for the word?
9. Words of Indian origin are scattered throughout this narrative. What is the effect of this mixed-
use vocabulary?
10. In several places in the narrative, it is clear that the narrator is quite young and doesn’t really
understand the events around her. Locate one of these places and explain how Rau’s
language choices reveal her lack of understanding at the time.
11. How does Rau use details of the setting to contrast school and home (especially in paragraph
26 after her first day of school), and what does she achieve with this comparison?
12. Even though the narrative follows a straightforward chronological order, it has been carefully
constructed to maximize the effect of the racism toward Premila and the other Indian children
during the test. Looking back through the narrative, what elements foreshadow this ending?

Topics for Composing

13. Analysis. Write an examination of the characterization of Premila, Santha’s older sister. What
is she like at the beginning of the narrative, and how does she change throughout the piece?
How does this characterization help Rau make her point about the effects of colonialism?

Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample. 147
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.

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