This GCSE English Literature quiz takes a look at setting in Meera Syal's Anita and Me. Setting, in a work of fiction, refers to the time and the location in which the events of the story take place. Most works of fiction actually have more than one setting, since events usually take place in different locations, and at different times. Individual settings within a text can include natural features, buildings, vehicles and other spaces. Atmosphere, another element of setting, also changes multiple times over the course of a fictional work. It can be a useful exercise to contrast the different settings found in a text.
Events which occur as part of the background to a text also play a role in forming its setting. This can be especially important where political events or social changes play a role in a text’s plot or its themes. The impact of the British Empire and its role in the history of India and in the everyday lives of Indian families play a crucial part in the events portrayed in Anita and Me.
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This novel is set for the most part in a single, small village, encompassing most of the young Meena’s life experience. Although she and her family venture out from the village on some occasions, the perspective of the novel centres on the Kumar household, radiating outward from this stable point. Visits from Aunties and Uncles are recorded; Nanima arrives, bringing reminders of home; and the visiting fair and later, a demolition crew, bring further excitement. It is fitting that the end of the novel brings change in the form of a household move as well as a new school for Meena. Setting in the novel is therefore important not only in terms of the choice to move from one country to another, but also in creating the sense that with movement comes growth and change. Anita, for instance, is left behind without likelihood of positive change when Meena says her farewells.
Answer the questions below on setting in Anita and Me.
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1.
|
When is Anita and Me set? |
|
[ ] |
Early 1950s |
[ ] |
Early 1960s |
[ ] |
Early 1970s |
[ ] |
Early 1980s |
|
|
2.
|
Where is the novel set? |
|
[ ] |
West Midlands |
[ ] |
Northumbria |
[ ] |
County Durham |
[ ] |
Essex |
|
|
3.
|
With which industry was Tollington associated? |
|
[ ] |
The steel industry |
[ ] |
Car manufacturing |
[ ] |
The paper industry |
[ ] |
Mining |
|
|
4.
|
Which of the following best describes Tollington? |
|
[ ] |
Tollington is a wealthy suburb of Wolverhampton |
[ ] |
Tollington is a rural village with a mostly working class population |
[ ] |
Tollington is a wealthy, rural village |
[ ] |
Tollington is a poor, urban housing estate |
|
|
5.
|
"It was a constant source of embarrassment to me that our front garden was the odd one out in the village, a boring rectangle of lumpy grass bordered with various herbs that mama grew to garnish our Indian meals. 'This is mint, beti,' she would say, plucking the top of a plant and crushing the leaves under my nose, 'This one thunia...coriander I mean...this lemon verbena, you can make tea from this...' I did not want things growing in our garden that reminded me of yesterday's dinner; I wanted roses and sunflowers and manicured hedges and fountains where the blackbirds would come and sip." Which of the following is correct? |
|
[ ] |
Meena is embarrassed by her mother's poor gardening skills |
[ ] |
Meena wishes for an ornamental English garden, like those of her neighbours, rather than the practical garden her parents keep |
[ ] |
Meena believes that sunflowers, roses and hedges are more practical than herbs |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
6.
|
Syal depicts Tollington as a close-knit community. Which one of the following settings does NOT contribute to this depiction? |
|
[ ] |
The shared alleyways between houses |
[ ] |
The village school |
[ ] |
The quarry pond |
[ ] |
The "yard" |
|
|
7.
|
Where does Anita and Meena's "gang" meet? |
|
[ ] |
In the park |
[ ] |
In a pigsty |
[ ] |
In the schoolyard |
[ ] |
By the quarry pond |
|
|
8.
|
Which of the following is associated with Meena's kitchen? |
|
[ ] |
Clutter |
[ ] |
The smell of spices |
[ ] |
Busy, sweating, efficient women |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
9.
|
"When I looked at Mrs Christmas' frocks, I thought of tea by an open fire with an autumn wind howling outside, horses' hooves, hats and gloves, toast, wartime brides with cupid bow mouths laughing and waving their hankies to departing soldiers, like I'd seen on that telly programme, All Our Yesterdays." Contemplating Mrs Christmas' clothing transports Meena to which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
The Big House, circa the 1920s |
[ ] |
Tollington, in its heyday as a mining village |
[ ] |
The India of the 1950s |
[ ] |
A nostalgic version of Englishness |
|
|
10.
|
Which one of the following does NOT feature as a setting in the novel? |
|
[ ] |
The hospital |
[ ] |
The Big House |
[ ] |
India |
[ ] |
Anita's kitchen |
|
|
1.
|
When is Anita and Me set? |
|
[ ] |
Early 1950s |
[ ] |
Early 1960s |
[x] |
Early 1970s |
[ ] |
Early 1980s |
|
|
2.
|
Where is the novel set? |
|
[x] |
West Midlands |
[ ] |
Northumbria |
[ ] |
County Durham |
[ ] |
Essex |
|
|
3.
|
With which industry was Tollington associated? |
|
[ ] |
The steel industry |
[ ] |
Car manufacturing |
[ ] |
The paper industry |
[x] |
Mining |
|
|
4.
|
Which of the following best describes Tollington? |
|
[ ] |
Tollington is a wealthy suburb of Wolverhampton |
[x] |
Tollington is a rural village with a mostly working class population |
[ ] |
Tollington is a wealthy, rural village |
[ ] |
Tollington is a poor, urban housing estate |
|
|
5.
|
"It was a constant source of embarrassment to me that our front garden was the odd one out in the village, a boring rectangle of lumpy grass bordered with various herbs that mama grew to garnish our Indian meals. 'This is mint, beti,' she would say, plucking the top of a plant and crushing the leaves under my nose, 'This one thunia...coriander I mean...this lemon verbena, you can make tea from this...' I did not want things growing in our garden that reminded me of yesterday's dinner; I wanted roses and sunflowers and manicured hedges and fountains where the blackbirds would come and sip." Which of the following is correct? |
|
[ ] |
Meena is embarrassed by her mother's poor gardening skills |
[x] |
Meena wishes for an ornamental English garden, like those of her neighbours, rather than the practical garden her parents keep |
[ ] |
Meena believes that sunflowers, roses and hedges are more practical than herbs |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
6.
|
Syal depicts Tollington as a close-knit community. Which one of the following settings does NOT contribute to this depiction? |
|
[ ] |
The shared alleyways between houses |
[ ] |
The village school |
[x] |
The quarry pond |
[ ] |
The "yard" |
|
|
7.
|
Where does Anita and Meena's "gang" meet? |
|
[ ] |
In the park |
[x] |
In a pigsty |
[ ] |
In the schoolyard |
[ ] |
By the quarry pond |
|
|
8.
|
Which of the following is associated with Meena's kitchen? |
|
[ ] |
Clutter |
[ ] |
The smell of spices |
[ ] |
Busy, sweating, efficient women |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
9.
|
"When I looked at Mrs Christmas' frocks, I thought of tea by an open fire with an autumn wind howling outside, horses' hooves, hats and gloves, toast, wartime brides with cupid bow mouths laughing and waving their hankies to departing soldiers, like I'd seen on that telly programme, All Our Yesterdays." Contemplating Mrs Christmas' clothing transports Meena to which of the following? |
|
[ ] |
The Big House, circa the 1920s |
[ ] |
Tollington, in its heyday as a mining village |
[ ] |
The India of the 1950s |
[x] |
A nostalgic version of Englishness |
|
|
10.
|
Which one of the following does NOT feature as a setting in the novel? |
|
[ ] |
The hospital |
[ ] |
The Big House |
[ ] |
India |
[x] |
Anita's kitchen |
|
|