John A. Ferguson Senior High School



Collections Grade 12 Guiding QuestionsCollection 2“Mallam Sile” by Mohammed Naseehu AliRead the short story “Mallam Sile” by Mohammed Naseehu Ali. Then, reread the lines indicated with each question below. Answer each question, citing text evidence.Lines 1–20: What is the setting, and what specific detail does the author use to evoke it?Lines 10–12: Notice the details the author chose to include about the condition of the tea shop. What inferences can be made about the shop’s owner, based on these details?Lines 31–35: Where does the author weave cultural references into lines 31–35? Why might the author include such references in the story?Lines 45–62: What details refer to Mallam Sile’s social position and economic status? Make inferences about why he did not attend his parents’ funeral. Draw conclusions about Mallam Sile’s character and his relationship with his parents, citing additional evidence as needed. Lines 69–106: Summarize Mallam Sile’s appearance based on evidence from the text. How does Mallam Sile respond to any hardships brought about by his health? What inferences, if any, can be made based on his response to hardship?Lines 100–106: Infer how the neighborhood women feel about Mallam Sile when he tries to flirt with them. Use the inference you’ve made so far to draw conclusions about Mallam Sile’s social position in the neighborhood.Lines 109–132: What does Mallam Sile want, and why is it difficult for him to find it? Cite details from the song as well as what you already know about his situation. Lines 109–110: What words does the author use to describe visitors to the tea shop? How does the author describe their living conditions? What do these details add to readers’ understanding of the setting?Lines 139–158: What is Mallam Sile’s response to the teasing and mocking of the “rascals” in his tea shop? Make inferences about Mallam Sile’s character based on his reactions.Lines 159–167: What contradictions are presented in this passage? What theme might these details suggest?Lines 186–219: What details in these lines show how the neighborhood communicates information in a harmful way? Do you think these developments will result in conflict? Explain.Lines 212–215: What can you infer about Abongo’s personality based on the dialogue? Lines 220–232: Summarize Abeeba’s appearance based on details in these lines. Recall Mallam Sile’s appearance and compare it to his wife’s. Why might the author choose to give Sile a wife who appears, at first, to be very different from him?Lines 244–254: Did your predictions come to pass about the apparent conflict brewing in the neighborhood during Sile’s absence? What do the earlier details about the neighbors’ gossip reveal about the author’s purpose?Lines 255–267: What changes happen to the way the new tea shop is run? Who is the catalyst in bringing about the changes? Why do you think Mallam Sile was willing to make these changes?Lines 268–280: What words and phrases in these lines help characterize Samadu? What sort of character is he? What do his interactions say about his place in the community? What might his importance be to the story?Lines 281–294: In what ways does Samadu present a challenge for Mallam Sile and Abeeba? Is Samadu an antagonist? Why?Lines 295–305: What details show how the women of the compound feel about Samadu? What might be their motivation for trying to protect Abeeba?Lines 306–312: Recall Abeeba’s description when she was first introduced in the story. How has Abeeba changed as she confronts Samadu? What significance, if any, does this alteration have? What conclusions can you draw concerning Abeeba’s character at this point in the story?Lines 346–370: Summarize the fight and the crowd’s reactions, showing how dominance shifts between Samadu and Abeeba.Lines 381–385: What details in these lines show the crowd behaving as one person? How does the crowd feel about Abeeba’s dominance? What conclusions can you draw about crowd behavior from the passage?Lines 390–413: What does Abeeba accomplish by winning the fight with Samadu? What does Abeeba’s win reveal about her true nature? What does Mallam Sile’s reaction (lines 406–413) reveal about his character?Lines 416–440: What specific detail reveals Mallam Sile’s beliefs about dealing with conflict? How does Abeeba feel about her husband’s approach to conflict? What evidence from the text supports your inference? Based upon your inferences, what conclusions, if any, can you draw about Abeeba’s role in her marriage?Lines 426–440: What is troubling Mallam Sile at the beginning of the passage? How does Sile ease his troubled mind? What conclusions does he come to? How does the author want readers to feel about Mallam Sile? How do you know? ................
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