Reflection – Silmy Abdullah

• AThe use of flashbacks and internal monologues helps the reader feel the ‘weight of the past’ and how historical experiences constantly influence the present moment
• BIt makes the story confusing and difficult to follow
• CIt shows that the narrator has a poor memory
• DIt creates suspense about what will happen next

• AIdentity and Heritage
• BSacrifice
• CThe Passage of Time
• DThe importance of wealth
• EThe joy of travel

True or false?

• The protagonist observes her mother’s daily life and physical appearance
• Through the metaphor of a mirror, the narrator considers her mother’s sacrifices
• The narrator begins to understand her mother as a woman with her own unfulfilled dreams

• AShe is the daughter of a Bangladeshi-Canadian family.
• BShe observes her mother’s daily life and physical appearance.
• CShe is the mother of the family.
• DShe represents the second-generation immigrant experience.
• EShe is a neighbour who watches the family from outside.

• The narrator sees her mother through a simple, domestic lens.
• The narrator observes her mother’s daily life and physical appearance.
• The narrator begins to understand her mother as a woman with unfulfilled dreams and a complex identity.

• AThe image in a mirror is not the ‘real’ thing, suggesting the mother’s outside appearance hides her inner complexity.
• BThe daughter ‘reflects’ or thinks deeply about her mother’s life.
• CThe mirror shows that the mother has no past before Canada.
• DThe mirror is used to show the mother’s wealth and status in Canada.
• EThe reflection represents the physical and emotional toll of the mother’s journey.

• AIt makes the story feel like an action-packed adventure with explosions.
• BIt helps the reader feel the weight of the past pressing down on the present.
• CIt suggests that the mother has forgotten her life in Bangladesh completely.
• DIt shows that the daughter is not interested in her mother’s history.

• AThe mother sacrificed her status, comfort and perhaps her career.
• BThe story focuses only on what was gained by moving to Canada.
• CThe sacrifice creates a sense of melancholy in the story.
• DThe mother’s sacrifice is shown through her education and potential in Bangladesh.
• EThe daughter makes no sacrifices at all.

True or false?

• AA woman who has completely forgotten her life in Bangladesh and is happy only in Canada.
• BA woman whose present domestic life contrasts with her past education, potential and status in Bangladesh.
• CA woman who has no dreams or past before moving to Canada.
• DA woman who is the main narrator of the story.

• AHer earlier life in Bangladesh, where she had education, potential and status
• BHer daughter's school life in Canada
• CThe narrator's career ambitions
• DThe family's life in a third country before Canada

• AA bond full of unspoken emotions, with a generational gap the daughter only gradually understands
• BA close friendship in which mother and daughter share all their feelings openly
• CA bitter conflict in which the daughter rejects her mother's heritage entirely
• DA formal relationship in which the two rarely interact

• AShe is often shown through her domestic roles such as cooking, cleaning and caring
• BShe had education, potential and a life in a different land before moving
• CShe is presented as having no past life before Canada
• DHer reflection shows the physical and emotional toll of her journey
• EShe is the narrator's employer

True or false?

• The narrator sees her mother through a simple, domestic lens
• The narrator observes details of her mother's daily life and appearance
• The narrator reflects on her mother's sacrifices in moving from Bangladesh to Canada
• The narrator realises her mother is a woman with her own unfulfilled dreams and a complex identity

• AThat her outward appearance as a quiet housewife is not the whole truth of who she is
• BThat she is vain and obsessed with her appearance
• CThat she has forgotten her life in Bangladesh completely
• DThat she and her daughter look exactly alike

• AIdentity can feel split between Bangladeshi roots and Canadian reality
• BThe daughter is finding her place in both her parents' heritage and her Western life
• CIdentity is fixed at birth and never changes
• DThe mother's identity is divided between her Bangladeshi roots and her Canadian reality
• EHeritage has no bearing on the characters' sense of self

• AA life of domestic roles and sacrifice, contrasting with her past education and status in Bangladesh.
• BA life of wealth and leisure, with no responsibilities.
• CA life of constant travel between Canada and Bangladesh.
• DA life of political activism and public speaking.

True or false?

• AIt helps the reader feel the weight of the past and how historical experiences influence the present.
• BIt makes the story confusing and difficult to follow.
• CIt creates suspense by withholding the ending.
• DIt allows the writer to include more characters.

True or false?

• AA reflection is only an image, not the real thing, so it suggests that the mother’s outward appearance as a quiet housewife hides the fuller truth of who she is.
• BA mirror shows everything perfectly, so it suggests that the narrator fully understands her mother from the beginning.
• CMirrors are cold and hard, so the title suggests the story is set entirely in Canada rather than Bangladesh.
• DA mirror is a household object, so the title suggests the story is only about cleaning and cooking.

• AIt encourages the reader to look past appearances and recognise the mother’s hidden history and unfulfilled dreams.
• BIt suggests that the mother is vain and spends too long checking her appearance.
• CIt proves that the mother has forgotten her life in Bangladesh completely.
• DIt shows that the narrator is uninterested in her family’s heritage.

• AIt makes the story feel grounded and real.
• BIt conveys the warmth of the characters’ culture.
• CIt contrasts that cultural warmth with the potentially cold or different environment of Canada.
• DIt replaces the need for any reflection on the mother’s inner life.
• EIt proves that the story is action-packed.

True or false?

• The narrator observes her mother’s daily life and physical appearance.
• Through the metaphor of a mirror or reflection, the narrator considers her mother’s sacrifices in moving from Bangladesh to Canada.
• The narrator realises her mother is not just ‘a mom’ but a woman with her own unfulfilled dreams and a complex identity.

The story is part of the ____ collection. The narrator is the ____ of the mother. The mother’s identity is split between her ____ roots and her Canadian reality.

The mother represents the ____ and lost potential of the immigrant experience, showing the contrast between her current domestic life and her past ____ and status in Bangladesh.

The story moves between the ____ and memories of the ____. The protagonist observes her mother's daily life and her physical ____.

The theme of ____ explores what the mother lost by moving to Canada. The theme of ____ is about being split between Bangladeshi roots and Canadian reality. The passage of time is shown through physical changes such as ____ hair.

Abdullah uses the metaphor of the ____ to suggest the hidden depths of the mother’s character. The story’s structure shifts between the present and ____, which helps the reader feel the weight of the past.