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Analyzing Representation Worksheet

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Analyzing Representation Worksheet

Read the original passage below. Then answer the questions using evidence from the passage. Representation means how people, experiences and identities are shown to an audience.

The Roll Call

On my first morning at my new school, the teacher paused over the roll. “Is it Leena or Lay-na?” she asked, looking up with an apologetic smile. “Lay-na,” I said. At home, my grandmother says my name with a soft, rolling sound. At school, I had learnt to make it quick and flat, as if I could fold it small enough to fit on a timetable. The teacher tried again, carefully this time. A couple of students turned to listen. Heat crept into my cheeks—not because she had made a mistake, but because everyone was waiting to see what I would do. I could have said, “Either is fine.” I had said that before. Instead, I repeated my name slowly. At lunch, Arjun told me that people often shortened his name to “Ari”. He liked Ari, he said, but he also wanted people to know the full name. “It’s not a test,” he added. “They can learn it.” We laughed, and the tight feeling in my shoulders eased. The next morning, the teacher got my name right. She did not make a speech about it or ask me to explain where it came from. She simply said it as it was. I answered, and the roll call moved on. My name had not changed. The room had made a little more space for it.

What the passage shows

Use details from the passage to support your thinking.

1.At the beginning, how does Leena adapt the way she says her name at school? Choose the best answer.

She makes it quicker and flatter.
She changes it to her grandmother’s name.
She refuses to answer the teacher.
She asks the class to choose a nickname.

2.Find one detail that suggests Leena feels self-conscious during the first roll call. Explain what that detail implies.

3.True or false: The passage presents the teacher as deliberately mocking Leena’s name. Give one detail that supports your answer.

TrueFalse

4.What does the comparison “as if I could fold it small enough to fit on a timetable” suggest about Leena’s earlier way of saying her name?

5.Match each passage detail in List A to the idea it most strongly represents in List B. Write the matching letter beside each detail.

List A: Leena says, “Either is fine,” as she has before.
List A: Arjun says, “They can learn it.”
List A: The teacher says Leena’s name correctly the next morning.

B. Expecting others to make an effort
A. Adjusting herself to avoid drawing attention
C. Respect shown through an ordinary action

How representation is created

Think about the narrator’s perspective, the details selected and the effect on the reader.

6.The passage is told in first person. How does hearing Leena’s thoughts help readers understand her experience?

7.Which statement best describes the passage’s message about names and belonging?

People should hide unfamiliar parts of their identity to fit in.
A small effort to use someone’s name correctly can show respect.
Nicknames are always disrespectful.
Names should never be discussed at school.

8.Does the passage suggest that Leena and Arjun have exactly the same feelings about shortened names? Explain your answer using evidence.

9.The final sentence says, “My name had not changed. The room had made a little more space for it.” Explain the contrast and what it suggests about belonging.

10.Whose perspective is most central in this passage, and whose perspective do readers hear less directly? Name one detail that helps you work this out.