Study

Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer Review

  •   0%
  •  0     0     0

      Back   Restart
  • What major conflict is occurring outside of the suburb?
    A peaceful protest against inequality.
    Construction of the community next door.
    A riot and demonstration protesting inequality.
    A parade celebrating Independence day.
  • Who read the boy the story that convinced him to climb the wall?
    The mother
  • In the opening scene, what conflict seems to irritate the narrator?
    That the house is old and creaky.
    That she was criticized for not having written a children's
    The presence of the black cat.
  • What does the word serrate mean?
    to cut
    to saw into two pieces
    having a jagged, saw-toothed edge
    To be sure of
  • What theme does Gordimer communicate through the ending of the fairy tale?
    Children are more open-minded than adults.
    Animals know how to protect themselves.
    Parents should not read fairy tales to their children.
    Actions motivated by extreme fear can be harmful.
  • Do you think the boy was safer before or after his parents started trying to protect the home?
    Answers vary.
  • Who is most worried about the family's safety?
    The wife
  • What comparisons could be made between the narrator and the family in the story?
    They both have children.
    They both have barbed wire fences around their homes.
    They both are authors.
    They both are fearful of intruders and live in South Africa
  • What did the man bring in from the garden every night to protect it from criminals?
    The cat.
    The ladder.
    The boy's tricycle.
    The car.
  • Gordimer starts thinking about
    Ghosts
    Natural disasters
    Rioters
    People who have been killed by burglars
  • What wakes Gordimer in the night?
    Something breaking
    Footsteps
    Music
    Someone talking
  • Because burglar alarms are often set off by pet cats, people in the neighborhood?
    pay more for insurance.
    get rid of their cats.
    change to better alarm systems
    do not hear intruders breaking in
  • What proved the family wasn’t racist, according to the narrator?
    The robber on the sign of in the picture in their yard had a mask over his face, so you couldn’t identify his race.
  • What happens to another trusted housemaid?
    She was kidnapped.
    She was killed.
    She was forced to help the robbers
    She was shut up in a closet while the house was robbed.
  • What name was given to the boy's grandmother?
    Fairy Godmother
    Dragon
    Wise Old Witch
    Wicked Stepmother
  • Why is mother worried about the cat?
    She thinks the cat will get injured trying to get over the wall.
  • Which of the following are not a character in the story?
    Boy
    Wife
    Girl
    Man
  • What is “Dragon’s Teeth”?
    They are the company that makes the most secure security wall with the medal coils.
  • The wise old witch warns against
    Bringing in people off the street
    talking with people who are a different color
    Raising the boy in the neighborhood
    Leaving the neighborhood
  • Why was the husbands mother referred to as the witch in the story?
    Because she is the evil person in this story.
    Because it is her name and everyone calls her this.
    Because she is wise, but no one like her.
    Because she know what is best for the family.
  • What did the wife want to give to the people on the street?
    Food and drink
    Prayers
    Money
    Work
  • What type of building does the family home look like after adding all the security?
    A prison
    A hospital
    A church
    A school
  • How does the little boy feel about the protections?
    He sees them as toys
    He does not notice them
    He is afraid of them
    They make him feel safe
  • What racist social system is in place during the time that the story happened?
    Apartheid.
    Jim Crow.
    Slavery.
  • Who always made the burglar alarms start ringing?
    The burglars
    The wise old witch
    The gardener
    The cat
  • On their walk, what prevents the family from admiring the flowers in the neighborhood?
    They were robbed on the street.
    The flowers were hidden behind different security fences.
    The flowers were dug up.
    They were allergic to the smell.
  • What does the Wise Old Witch get the little boy for Christmas?
    A bike.
    A pet cat.
    A book of fairy tales.
    Bricks.
  • In this story, what are people afraid of?
    The people were afraid that burglars would break into their home and steal things.
  • Why didn’t the father fear riots in their area?
    He didn’t fear riots because they were taking place outside of the city and black people were only allowed inside the neighborhood if they were workers.
  • The wife wants her housemaid to offer “bread and tea” to the unemployed people who linger on the street near the house (line 126). Why does the housemaid refuse?
    She feels like it is not her responsibility.
    he does not trust the people and fears they will break in.
    She thinks the people will be insulted.
    The husband told her it is not safe to talk to the people.
  • The first new precaution that the husband installed was
    A tall wall
    A security guard
    Electronic gates with an intercom
    Serrated coils
  • How do we know the family is wealthy?
    Their home
    All of these answers
    The gardener and housemaid
    Their neighborhood
  • What does the Wise Old Witch get the man and the woman for Christmas?
    Serrated Security Coil.
    A Book of Fairy Tales.
    Bricks.
    A Security System.
  • Someone asks Gordimer to write a story for
    children
  • What type of conflict is this story (man vs. ???) Explain.
    Answers vary.
  • Which word means traveling from place to place to work?
    efficacy
    breach
    intention
    itinerant
  • What does the sign on the family's gate say?
    YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
    DO NOT ENTER
    NO TRESPASSING
    YARD SALE
  • What prevents this couple from living 'happily ever after?
    The are not happy at the end because their son dies.
  • What did the boy use to climb the wall?
    A chair
    A pick axe
    A ladder
    A rope
  • What kind of communication did the author receive that asked them to write a story for children?
    A phone call
    A email
    A letter
    A text
  • What makes the author afraid in the beginning of the story?
    the wind
    the house shifting because of the mine underneath
    an intruder
    her own heartbeat
  • What did the housemaid suggest for the protection of their house?
    Bars for the windows and doors, and an alarm system.
  • The husband says all the following except ______ will keep them safe.
    soldiers
    tear gas
    the police
    Their white skin
  • In the fairy tale, the husband and wife fear that:
    their little boy will be shot at school.
    their neighbors will be jealous of them.
    they will be attacked by people of another color
    they will not be able to find trusted servants.
  • What negative activities were happening in the “other” neighborhood?
    Buses were being burned, cars were being stoned, and children were being shot by police
  • In which country is the story set?
    America
    Rwanda
    South Africa
    Canada
  • How is the use of the phrase “happily ever after” in this story different from its use in traditional fairy tales?
    This story does have a "Happily ever after"
    This story is not made for little children
    This story means people are bad
    This story does not have a "happily ever after"
  • In the ________________the reader is introduced to the main characters of the story.
    falling action
    exposition
    climax
    rising action
  • Which security system let the family know that the boy needed to be rescued from the metal coils?
    The alarm
    The speaker
    The burger bars
    The warning sign
  • Where does the family live?
    In a castle.
    In an apartment.
    In a farmhouse.
    In a suburb.
    • Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.