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3. How does Kaling describe high school and its various cliques and types of students? How do
5
the social pressures of high school affect how Kaling approaches friendship?
4. How does Kaling describe herself near the beginning of the narrative, before “things started to
change” (par. 11)?
5. Reread the two paragraphs in which Kaling describes what she and JLMP watched one
Narrative
Saturday night (pars. 12–13). Summarize what happened here that was so significant for Kaling.
6. Explain what Kaling means in paragraph 18 when she writes, “It felt weird being with Mavis in
the real world, but good weird.” Why is this a significant realization for Kaling at this point in
the narrative?
7. How is high school different for Kaling after JLMP breaks up? Is she better or worse off? Why?

Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure

8. Vocabulary in Context. At the end of paragraph 3, Kaling uses the word liberally to describe
Western parenting styles. What does the word mean in this use here, and what are other uses
of the word in other contexts?
9. Kaling creates an informal, almost conversational tone in this piece, as if she is talking directly
to the reader. Locate a moment that exemplifies this tone and explain how Kaling uses stylistic
elements to create it. Why is this tone effective for the narrative?
10. Kaling is an actress and has been a writer for comedies on television. Return to the narrative
and locate places of intended humor. Who is the target of her humor, and how does she try to
make it funny?
11. At several places in the narrative, Kaling interrupts the chronological order of the story she is
telling and reflects on the events as an adult looking back. Locate one of these times and
explain how this reflection helps Kaling make a point about her own development.
12. The scene at the mall in which Kaling and Mavis see JLP together is a climactic moment in the
narrative (par. 20). Explain how Kaling constructs this scene and uses narrative elements to
express the emotional impact it had on her.

Topics for Composing

13. Analysis. What point does Kaling make in this narrative about the role of friendship in forming
identity?
14. Argument. Once Kaling starts hanging out more with Mavis, she writes, “Mavis and I became
real friends. Friends at school” (par. 19). Can you be friends with someone if you are not
friends with that person at school? Argue for a definition about what a “real friend” means.
15. Connections. Do you have sets of friends like Kaling describes here that do not interact with
each other regularly? Why does this happen? Is it a benefit to you? Does it lead to conflict?
16. Connections. Watch an episode or two of one of the TV shows that Kaling is often closely
associated with (The Mindy Project, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Never Have I Ever). What
similarities do you notice between how Kaling creates humor and conflict in the show and in
this narrative?
17. Speaking and Listening. In paragraph 5, Kaling begins describing JLMP, who had “been
friends since middle school, which was only two years, but seemed like a lifetime.” With a
partner or small group, share your thoughts on your middle school years. Did the time there
feel like a “lifetime,” or did it move quickly? Come to consensus on why time sometimes
seems to move faster or slower depending on the circumstances.
154
Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample.
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.

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