Danger of a single story

• What is the opening sentence of the passage?

  I’m a storyteller.
• How does the opening sentence affect the reader?

  It grabs attention and establishes focus.
• What does Adichie want to discuss in her passage?

  The significance of stories in her life.
• What effect does starting a sentence with 'And' have in the passage?

  It creates a conversational tone.
• What personal stories does Adichie mention wanting to tell?

  About the 'danger of the single story.'
• How does Adichie create suspense in her writing?

  By not defining the 'danger' immediately.
• Where did Adichie grow up?

  On a University campus in Nigeria.
• What does Adichie's mother claim about her reading age?

  That she started reading at two years old.
• What does Adichie imply by stating there are two versions of the truth?

  That memories can be subjective and varied.
• What does Adichie mean by 'close to the truth'?

  That she cannot claim to know the whole truth.
• At what age did Adichie start writing stories?

  At the age of seven.
• What contrast does Adichie create between her stories and her reality?

  Her stories feature foreign characters, unlike her life.
• What does Adichie mean by 'Now' at the beginning of her sentences?

  It signals a shift to reality and focus.
• What does Adichie say about the climate in Nigeria?

  It is consistently warm with little change.
• How does Adichie describe the impact of reading British and American books?

  They stirred her imagination and opened new worlds.
• What does Adichie suggest about the representation of characters in literature?

  That diverse lives can be validly represented.
• How does Adichie describe her early stories?

  As being based on European details.
• What does Adichie say about her family background?

  She comes from a middle-class family.
• What does Adichie's mother do for Fide's family?

  She sends yams, rice, and old clothes.
• What realization does Adichie have about Fide's family?

  They have beauty and creativity beyond poverty.
• What stereotype does Adichie's American roommate have about Africans?

  That they listen to tribal music.
• How does Adichie respond to her roommate's assumptions?

  She surprises her with a Mariah Carey tape.
• What does Adichie's experience with her roommate illustrate?

  The dangers of having a single story about people.
• What does Adichie express amazement about?

  Thick twine in bright colors
• What was Adichie's single story about Fide's family?

  They were poor
• How does Adichie illustrate her own experience with stereotypes?

  By comparing it to Fide's situation
• What stereotype does Adichie's American roommate have about Africans?

  That they listen to tribal music
• Why is Adichie's roommate shocked by her English skills?

  She assumes all Africans can't speak English
• What does Adichie imply by using the phrase 'did not know how to use a stove'?

  Her roommate's assumptions are misguided
• What metaphor does Adichie use to describe her feelings about her roommate's view?

  'Struck' to indicate deep impact
• What does Adichie say about the roommate's view of Africa?

  It is a single story of catastrophe
• How does Adichie illustrate the media's portrayal of Africa?

  By contrasting beauty with violence
• What does Adichie suggest about the images of Africa in Western media?

  They are very limited and one-sided
• What does Adichie say about her view of Fide's family later in life?

  She realizes she viewed them similarly
• What does Adichie mean by 'just as guilty in the question of the single story'?

  She acknowledges her own biases
• How does Adichie relate her experience in Mexico to her views on stereotypes?

  She recognizes her own one-sided views
• What negative stereotypes does Adichie mention about Mexicans?

  They are seen as 'fleecing' and 'sneaking'
• What does Adichie imply with the phrase 'that sort of thing'?

  It adds a comic tone to serious issues
• What does Adichie emphasize by repeating 'I remember' in her Mexico experience?

  The importance of personal experience
• How does Adichie describe the people she saw in Mexico?

  As working, laughing, and smoking