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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What fictional character did Matawhero remind Ashton-Warner?

2. What instrument did the seven-year-old twins play after the event for Kahu?

3. What was one of the items "missing" from the new classroom?

4. What illustration was NOT included in the pictures on the new coat hooks for the students?

5. What color did Ashton-Warner say she liked after her basketball team won?

Short Essay Questions

1. To what did Ashton-Warner attribute the lack of cohesiveness in some of her later students' stories?

2. What happened when Ashton-Warner attempted to secure school uniforms for her students from a nearby shop?

3. In "Post Holiday Notes," what word did Ashton-Warner use to represent the key instinct of fear to her students?

4. Why did Ashton-Warner's white student, Dennis, have a nervous breakdown?

5. Why did Ashton-Warner write at the end of "Holidays" that she was no longer lonely?

6. How did Maoris and whites differ in terms of communal gatherings?

7. How did Ashton-Warner describe the moments in her life when she knew the meaning of what was happening to her?

8. Why was Ashton-Warner surprised at the appearance of the new classrooms when she visited?

9. Describe the new teacher encountered by Ashton-Warner as she explores the renovated school.

10. What was Ashton-Warner's attitude toward the white students who accused Maori students of theft?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As Ashton-Warner listened to a Maori adult teach her students a traditional song, she realized that she could not have done that because she was not Maori herself. She knew she could not bring forth the same passion that the Maori teacher did. How did being white affect Ashton-Warner's abilities as a teacher to a mostly-Maori classroom? Did it limit her in any way? Was she required to make changes to her technique because of the racial difference? Were there other situations (besides the traditional song) in which Ashton-Warner would have been at a significant disadvantage as a white person? Is it necessary to have teachers reflect the ethnic or racial makeup of their classrooms?

Essay Topic 2

Based on categorizing the "first words" collected from her students, Ashton-Warner decided that there were two main instincts represented in these words--fear and sex. Is that a fair and accurate assessment? Are these two "emotions" universal (in terms of being expressed as "first words" among children)? Is fear something that all children feel and need to express? What is their likely understanding of the role of sex in their lives and the life of their community? Would children of different cultures also focus on words related to fear and sex and would those words differ from the Maori ones? What do these first words say about human nature?

Essay Topic 3

At one point in the book, Ashton-Warner admitted that at least one of her white students would have performed better had he been given access to the "white" readers she hated so much. Did her efforts on behalf of her Maori students come at a cost for her white students? Is it possible to help one previously disadvantaged group while also ensuring that the "advantaged" group does not fall behind? Should teachers base their teaching on reaching specific groups or should all the students, regardless of background, be expected to conform to the standard used in that classroom? Is it possible--or desirable--to differentiate instruction in a diverse classroom?

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