The Hand of Fatima

1.      At the beginning of “The Hand of Fatima,” Aneesi gets a letter from her brother Hussein.
What TWO themes are introduced by her thoughts about his letter?

• a.       the causes of economic inequality

• b.      the challenges of being an immigrant

• c.       the effects of ethnic tension

• d.      the experiences of migrant workers

• e.       the importance of family connection

2.      Read the following excerpt from the story.

This was the sort of thing she’d been hoping to hear. A job in an office someday, maybe as a secretary or even a manager, an important job with a good salary—the realization of her dreams.

What important idea does the author develop in this excerpt?

• a.       Aneesi does not like her employers.

• b.      Aneesi misses her family and home.

• c.       Aneesi has ambitions beyond service work.

• d.      Aneesi has not had much formal schooling.

3. What can you infer about Aneesi’s decision to leave her position and return home?

• a.       She is angry and wants revenge against her employers for their actions.

   

• b.      She believes it is wrong to keep working for people who hurt her father.

   

• c.       She thinks she will have better opportunities as the wife of a storekeeper.

  mily.

   

• d.      She feels that her employers cannot do enough to make amends to her family.

   

How do the multiple meanings of the Hand of Fatima reflect an underlying theme of the story?

• a.       Aneesi travels multiple places to achieve her goals.

• b.      Aneesi struggles with multiple desires and loyalties.

• c.       Aneesi tries to master multiple skills in her position.

• d.      Aneesi has conflicting relationships with multiple characters.

   Read the following lines from “The Journey.”

. . . the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice—

What theme in “The Hand of Fatima” do these lines BEST reflect?

• a.       Friendship and kindness can come from unexpected places.

• b.      Helping others is the most rewarding thing a person can do.

• c.       People must be willing to find their own solutions to problems.

• d.      Sometimes the only way to realize a dream is to refuse to do what others want.

      If Aneesi read “The Journey,” she would MOST LIKELY consider the idea that the only life you can save is your own to be

• a.       belittling.

• b.      disheartening.

• c.       empowering.

• d.      intimidating.

      The verb dismay means “to disappoint or trouble.” Aneesi feels dismayed when she learns that Hussein might quit school. Which synonym BEST reflects the meaning of the adjective dismayed as it is used in “The Hand of Fatima”?

• a.       angry

• b.      shamed

• c.       surprised

• d.      upset

    The word turbulent was originally used to describe the behavior of a noisy crowd. Read this excerpt from “The Hand of Fatima.”

But her mind was turbulent. She thought back to her first weeks in this new country, how hard it had been to learn new ways, to live with a different family . . . how baffling to bump into unfamiliar ideas and assumptions . . . how humiliating to make mistakes and blunders time after time.

Which phrase BEST shows how the meaning of turbulent has expanded over time?

• a.       burdened by too many questions

• b.      consumed with fierce emotion

• c.       filled with confusing thoughts

• d.      focused with singular purpose