See if you can get all ten questions correct in this enjoyable GCSE English Literature quiz on Anita and Me by Meera Syal. Understanding a text is necessary before you are able to analyse and write about it. Comprehension seems as if it might be a fairly basic task, but is not as easy as it sounds. If texts could be reduced to a plot structure and a simple message, then authors would not need to expend so much energy and so many words to express their ideas!
Authors use a variety of methods to convey meaning. Sometimes authors state the meaning unambiguously, but it is more typical for an author to communicate indirectly through other aspects of fiction, such as character, setting, plot, theme and dialogue. By analysing each of these elements, you will increase your understanding of the text. It is usually best if you find time to re-read the text.
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By limiting yourself to reading a book only once, it is likely that you will miss important details. Even if you find that you need to read particular sections several times in order to understand them, don’t worry! This is a sign that you have actually been especially attentive to the complex nature of the text.
One very useful method of revising is to make a timeline of events. Make a note of the key events which occur in each chapter. How are these related to the plot?
Analyse the relationship between characters’ actions and motivations. Can you discern the reasons behind a character’s behaviour? Does the text contain clues? Are any characters perfectly reliable so that you may take their words at face value? Are you able to perceive any foreshadowing of later events? As you think about these questions in relation to the text, consider how you might justify your views through evidence.
It can be especially fruitful to pay close attention to the beginnings and ends of the text. Consider potential reasons that the author might have chosen to begin the text in a certain way. What do you learn from the initial setting? How do you first learn about individual characters? Consider these questions in relation to each chapter, too. By devoting some attention to careful and detailed analysis of this sort, you can greatly improve your understanding of the text.
Read the questions below on Anita and Me and test your knowledge and understanding of the text.
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1.
|
Why is Meena's father angry with her at the beginning of the novel? |
|
[ ] |
She has stolen sweets from Mr Ormerod and lied about it |
[ ] |
She has stolen money from her mother and lied about it |
[ ] |
She has stolen money from Mr Ormerod and lied about it |
[ ] |
She has stolen sweets from Mr Ormerod and blamed it on her cousins |
|
|
2.
|
Meena's mother works... |
|
[ ] |
In a factory |
[ ] |
As a nurse |
[ ] |
As an actor |
[ ] |
As a teacher |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following best describes Meena's attitude towards Anita at the beginning of the novel? |
|
[ ] |
Meena is afraid of Anita |
[ ] |
Meena dislikes Anita |
[ ] |
Meena condescends to Anita |
[ ] |
Meena looks up to Anita |
|
|
4.
|
What is the primary motivation for Nanima's visit? |
|
[ ] |
The family's greatest wish is for Meena to learn Punjabi |
[ ] |
Meena's mother is overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities |
[ ] |
After Meena breaks her leg, the family require additional help around the house |
[ ] |
Nanima's greatest wish has always been to visit England |
|
|
5.
|
What does Meena lose the night Sunil is born? |
|
[ ] |
A small statue of Ganesha |
[ ] |
Her mother's shoes |
[ ] |
Her best salwar kameez |
[ ] |
Her mother's diamond necklace |
|
|
6.
|
Anita's family is troubled. Which of the following is NOT a sign of her difficult home life? |
|
[ ] |
The bruises on Tracey's thighs |
[ ] |
Anita's dad's army service |
[ ] |
Deirdre's behaviour as she sneaks away from the village |
[ ] |
Anita's freedom to wander around the village unsupervised |
|
|
7.
|
Who lives in the "Big House" in Tollington? |
|
[ ] |
Mr and Mrs Pembridge |
[ ] |
Uncle Alan |
[ ] |
Mireille and Harinder |
[ ] |
A witch |
|
|
8.
|
What provokes Meena's disastrous ride on Sherrie's horse? |
|
[ ] |
She has just learned that Anita's boyfriend is Sam |
[ ] |
She has just learned that Sam and Anita were responsible for racist violence in the village |
[ ] |
She wants to make something happen |
[ ] |
All of the above |
|
|
9.
|
Why is Tollington's village school demolished? |
|
[ ] |
To make space for the motorway being built through the village |
[ ] |
The village no longer has enough children to fill the school |
[ ] |
The village's population of school children has grown so drastically that a bigger school is needed |
[ ] |
To make space for dozens of new houses |
|
|
10.
|
Why is Meena required to give evidence to the police? |
|
[ ] |
She must corroborate Tracey's report that Sam or Anita pushed her into the quarry pond |
[ ] |
She is the only impartial witness to the events leading to Tracey's fall into the quarry pond |
[ ] |
She must clear her name after being accused of pushing Tracey into the quarry pond |
[ ] |
She is the only witness to Anita pushing Tracey into the pond and must provide her friend with an alibi |
|
|
1.
|
Why is Meena's father angry with her at the beginning of the novel? |
|
[ ] |
She has stolen sweets from Mr Ormerod and lied about it |
[x] |
She has stolen money from her mother and lied about it |
[ ] |
She has stolen money from Mr Ormerod and lied about it |
[ ] |
She has stolen sweets from Mr Ormerod and blamed it on her cousins |
|
|
2.
|
Meena's mother works... |
|
[ ] |
In a factory |
[ ] |
As a nurse |
[ ] |
As an actor |
[x] |
As a teacher |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following best describes Meena's attitude towards Anita at the beginning of the novel? |
|
[ ] |
Meena is afraid of Anita |
[ ] |
Meena dislikes Anita |
[ ] |
Meena condescends to Anita |
[x] |
Meena looks up to Anita |
|
|
4.
|
What is the primary motivation for Nanima's visit? |
|
[ ] |
The family's greatest wish is for Meena to learn Punjabi |
[x] |
Meena's mother is overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities |
[ ] |
After Meena breaks her leg, the family require additional help around the house |
[ ] |
Nanima's greatest wish has always been to visit England |
|
|
5.
|
What does Meena lose the night Sunil is born? |
|
[ ] |
A small statue of Ganesha |
[ ] |
Her mother's shoes |
[ ] |
Her best salwar kameez |
[x] |
Her mother's diamond necklace |
|
|
6.
|
Anita's family is troubled. Which of the following is NOT a sign of her difficult home life? |
|
[ ] |
The bruises on Tracey's thighs |
[x] |
Anita's dad's army service |
[ ] |
Deirdre's behaviour as she sneaks away from the village |
[ ] |
Anita's freedom to wander around the village unsupervised |
|
|
7.
|
Who lives in the "Big House" in Tollington? |
|
[ ] |
Mr and Mrs Pembridge |
[ ] |
Uncle Alan |
[x] |
Mireille and Harinder |
[ ] |
A witch |
|
|
8.
|
What provokes Meena's disastrous ride on Sherrie's horse? |
|
[ ] |
She has just learned that Anita's boyfriend is Sam |
[ ] |
She has just learned that Sam and Anita were responsible for racist violence in the village |
[ ] |
She wants to make something happen |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
9.
|
Why is Tollington's village school demolished? |
|
[x] |
To make space for the motorway being built through the village |
[ ] |
The village no longer has enough children to fill the school |
[ ] |
The village's population of school children has grown so drastically that a bigger school is needed |
[ ] |
To make space for dozens of new houses |
|
|
10.
|
Why is Meena required to give evidence to the police? |
|
[ ] |
She must corroborate Tracey's report that Sam or Anita pushed her into the quarry pond |
[x] |
She is the only impartial witness to the events leading to Tracey's fall into the quarry pond |
[ ] |
She must clear her name after being accused of pushing Tracey into the quarry pond |
[ ] |
She is the only witness to Anita pushing Tracey into the pond and must provide her friend with an alibi |
|
|