WWW & CDW Strategy GNZ

​WWW & CDW Strategy

By Magda Gonzalez

from The Winter Hibiscus

by Minfong Ho

1 On an impulse, Saeng swung open the door and entered.

2 An elderly woman behind the counter looked up and smiled at her. “Yes? Can I help you?” she asked.

3 Saeng hesitated. Then she thrust out the heart-shaped green leaf in her hand and stammered, “Do—do you have this plant? I—I don’t know its name.”

4 The woman took the leaf and studied it with interest. “Why, yes,” she said. “That looks like a rose of Sharon. We have several in the nursery out back.”

5 She kept up a steady stream of conversation as she escorted Saeng through a side door into an open courtyard, where various saplings and shrubs stood. “Hardy plants, these roses of Sharon. Pretty blossoms, too, in the fall. In fact—look, there’s still a flower or two left on this shrub. Nice shade of pink, isn’t it?”

6 The leaves on the shrub were of the same distinct serrated heart shape, but its flower looked—wrong, somehow.

7 “Is there—I mean, can it have another kind of flower?” Saeng asked. “Another color, maybe? I think—I think it was a deep color,” she offered, then shook her head. “I don’t remember. It doesn’t matter.” Discouraged and feeling more than a little foolish, she started to back away.

8 “Wait,” the florist said. “I think I know what you’re looking for.” A slow smile deepened the wrinkles in her face. “Come this way. It’s in our greenhouse.”

9 At the far side of the courtyard stood a shed, the like of which Saeng had never seen before. It was made entirely of glass and seemed to be bathed in a soft white light.

10 As she led the way there, the florist started talking again. “Lucky we just got through moving in some of our tropical plants,” she said, “or the frost last weekend would have killed them off. Anything in there now you’d have to leave indoors until next summer, of course. Even so, some of the plants won’t survive the long cold winters here. Hothouse flowers, that’s what they are. Not hardy, like those roses of Sharon I just showed you.”
11 Only half listening, Saeng wished that there were a polite way she could excuse herself and leave. Still, she dutifully followed the other woman through the greenhouse door and walked in.

12 She gasped.

13 It was like walking into another world. A hot, moist world exploding with greenery. Huge flat leaves, delicate wisps of tendrils, ferns and fronds and vines of all shades and shapes grew in seemingly random profusion.

14 “Over there, in the corner, the hibiscus. Is that what you mean?” The florist pointed at a leafy potted plant by the corner.

15 There, in a shaft of the wan afternoon sunlight, was a single bloodred blossom.

16 “Saebba,” Saeng whispered.

17 A saebba hedge, tall and lush, had surrounded their garden, its lush green leaves dotted with vermilion flowers. And sometimes after a monsoon rain, a blossom or two would have blown into the well, so that when she drew up the well water, she would find a red blossom floating in the bucket.
18 Slowly, Saeng walked down the narrow aisle toward the hibiscus. Orchids, oleanders, elephant ear begonias, and bougainvillea vines surrounded her. Plants that she had not even realized she had known but had forgotten drew her back into her childhood world.

19 When she got to the hibiscus, she reached out and touched a petal gently. It felt smooth and cool, with a hint of velvet toward the center—just as she had known it would feel.

20 And beside it was yet another old friend, a small shrub with waxy leaves and dainty flowers with purplish petals and white centers. “Madagascar periwinkle,” its tag announced. How strange to see it in a pot, Saeng thought. Back home it just grew wild, jutting out from the cracks in brick walls or between tiled roofs.

21 And that rich, sweet scent—that was familiar, too. Saeng scanned the greenery around her and found a tall, gangly plant with exquisite little white blossoms on it. “Dok Malik,” she said, savoring the feel of the word on her tongue, even as she silently noted the English name on its tag, “jasmine.”

22 One of the blossoms had fallen off, and carefully Saeng picked it up and smelled it. She closed her eyes and breathed in, deeply. The familiar fragrance filled her lungs, and Saeng could almost feel the light strands of her grandmother’s long gray hair, freshly washed, as she combed it out with the fine-toothed buffalo-horn comb. And when the sun had dried it, Saeng would help the gnarled old fingers knot the hair into a bun, then slip a dok Malik bud into it.

23 Saeng looked at the white bud in her hand now, small and fragile. Gently, she closed her palm around it and held it tight. That, at least, she could hold on to.

Multiple Choice

What does the figurative language in paragraph 15 help the reader understand about the flower?

• It stands out in its surroundings.

• It prefers to grow in the shade.

• It is a color that is difficult to describe.

• It is growing poorly in the greenhouse.

Multiple Choice

What does the point of view of this excerpt help the reader understand?

• The relationship between Saeng and the florist

• Saeng’s feelings during her experience

• The opinion of the florist

• The florist’s desire to help Saeng

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of profusion as it is used in paragraph 13

• Height

• Color

• Abundance

• Purpose

Multiple Choice

Which sentence suggests that Saeng’s main conflict in the excerpt will be resolved?

• The leaves on the shrub were of the same distinct serrated heart shape, but its flower looked—wrong, somehow. (paragraph 6)

• A slow smile deepened the wrinkles in her face. (paragraph 8)

• As she led the way there, the florist started talking again. (paragraph 10)

• Only half listening, Saeng wished that there were a polite way she could excuse herself and leave. (paragraph 11)

Multiple Choice

Why is the leaf Saeng carries important in the excerpt?

• It helps Saeng find a plant that causes her to have vivid memories of her childhood..

• It was given to Saeng by someone important to Saeng during her childhood.

• It leads Saeng to discover a new and beautiful plant.

• It is essential in teaching Saeng about her past.

Multiple Choice

How does the change in settings from the nursery to the greenhouse advance the plot?

• By forcing Saeng to develop a relationship with the elderly woman

• By causing Saeng to identify a problem and find a solution to it

• By teaching Saeng to compromise in difficult situations

• By allowing Saeng to make the discovery despite her doubts

Multiple Choice

What is the best summary of the excerpt?

• Saeng enters a flower shop carrying a leaf. The florist says that the leaf comes from a rose of Sharon and leads Saeng to it. But Saeng is looking for a plant with a darker flower, which helps the florist identify the plant at last.

• At a flower shop, Saeng holds a mysterious, jagged leaf. She wants to know what plant it comes from, so she asks the florist to help her. They look first in the nursery and then in the greenhouse before they find that the plant is a hibiscus.

• Saeng brings a leaf to a flower shop and asks the florist to identify its plant. After showing her a similar but incorrect plant, the florist leads her to a greenhouse. There Saeng finds the plant she seeks along with others that remind her of home.

• While at a flower shop, Saeng asks a florist to find a certain plant. After studying the clue of a heart-shaped leaf, the florist realizes that it may be a tropical plant, so she leads Saeng to the greenhouse. There Saeng recognizes the hibiscus plant.

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