Inderstanding the Text
• Answer these questions.
1. What are you, anyway?" (para 46)
a What did the Nortons want to know about Carole?
b. What do you think is problematic with the question? Does the word 'what
make a person seemn less than human? How?
c. Is there any word or phrase in para 32 that does the same thing?
2. Answer these questions about Carole and her understanding of race.
a. Does Carole understand the terms 'race' and 'mulatto?
'
b. When Carole first sees the Nortons, does she identify them as white-skinned?
What is the word she uses to describe Mr Norton? (para 2)
c. Do you think Carole understands colour of skin or race as a major difference
between people?
Answers
Answer:
A) Understanding the texts
Answer these questions
Q1) “ What are you anyway?”
a) What did the Norton‟s want to know about Carole?
Ans a) Norton‟s wanted to know what race do her parents belong to.
b) What do you think is problematic with the question? Does the
word „what‟ makes the person seem less than human? How?
Ans b) The questions discriminates between races and is said in a
derogatory fashion. Yes, it makes the other person feel less than
human and low and inferior. The way it is said and usage of body
language of Norton‟s makes the child uncomfortable even though she
does not understand the concept of race.
c) Is there any word or phrase in paragraph 32 which says the same
thing?
Ans c) „but the world isn‟t ready for it, they are neither one thing nor
the other‟ indicates the same thing.
Q2) Answer these questions about Carole and her understanding of
race?
2
a) Does Carole understand the terms „race‟ and „muttato‟?
Ans a) No Carole, doesn‟t understand the terms „race‟ and „muttato‟.
b) When Carole first sees the Norton‟s does she identify them as
White skinned? What is the word she uses to describe Mr Norton?
Ans b) No Carole does not identify Mr Norton as White skinned.Carole
uses the word sunburned to describe him.
c) Do you think Carole understands colour of skin or race as a major
difference between people.
d) Ans c) No, Carole does not understand colour of skin or race as a
major difference between people.
Q3) Answer these questions about the Norton‟s?
a) What is the first thing Norton‟s notices about Carole?
Ans a) Norton‟s notice that the colour of Carole‟s doll is black.
b) In Para 32 Mrs Norton says that „the world is not ready for mixed
people‟ though she does not mind them. Do you think she is being
honest about her feelings. How do we know?
Ans b) Yes, she is honest about her feelings as later in the passage she
asks husband to wake her up and find out if she wants something to eat.
c) What do you think is the difference between Carole and Norton‟s in
the way they approach people? Do they treat everyone equally?
Ans c) Carole and Norton‟s look at people in a very different
manner. For Carole all people are equal, she does not differentiate
between black and white, she is not aware about what is race and it
does not matter to her. However the Norton‟s differentiate and
discriminate people on the basis of race and look down on other
people as inferior.
Q4) “I never use just one colour”
a) What is Carole talking about?
Ans a) She is talking about colouring her father using many different colours in a
colour book.
b) Carole’s mother is a white woman but Carole says she would colour her
using different colours what do you think that she is?
Ans c) Carole does not discriminate between colour for her all colours are same
that is why she said she would colour her using different colours.
d) What does this tell us about the labels black and white that are used for
people are they accurate?
Ans d) No, they are not accurate as they make differences among people according
to the colour of the skin and promote racism.
Q5) What do you think Carole has learnt about people and their attitude towards
race? Do you think her innocent outlook on life will remain the same after the
flight? Do you think it was thoughtless of the Norton’s to ask a child such
questions? Would they have asked an adult the same questions?
Ans 5) Carole’s has learnt that there are people who differentiate between colour
of skin and are racist, all people are not like her parents. Indeed her thinking
about people will change and will get matured outlook of life. Yes, it was
thoughtless and insensitive of Norton’s to ask such a question. No, they would not
have asked such a question an adult, it was because she was a child they were
bothering her and trying to prove that they belong to a superior race.