My Favorite Chaperone

1. Lines 1–14: What can you infer about the narrator from this first paragraph?

2. Lines 15–56: What details in these lines explain how an international dating magazine brought the narrator’s family to America?

3. Lines 17–36: What is the story’s conflict? What does the conflict reveal about the narrator’s parents?

4. Lines 212–230: In what ways does Nurzhan’s fight impact Maya? What does her reaction suggest about her

5. Lines 231–246: What led to Nurzhan’s fight? What does the conversation reveal about Nurzhan?

6. Lines 405–413: What is the difference in customs between Kazakhstan and America that causes a problem? How do you know that Maya and Nurzhan understand this difference better than their mother?

7. Lines 427–462: In what ways is Maya like a typical middle school student? In what ways is she different?

8. Lines 815–850: Compare Maya’s experience at the dance to Nurzhan’s? How does Nurzhan fulfill his role as chaperone while still allowing Maya to enjoy the dance?

9. Lines 856–863: What are Maya’s thoughts about the dance? Why does Maya think that the bracelet represents a change in her family?

 

Vocabulary words for weeks 11-15

Week 11

• Evoke To summon forth, call to mind, suggest

• Terse Brief and to the point; concise

• Belittle To put someone down; speak or think of as unimportant

• Gape To become widely open; to stare in amazement

• Perverse Stubborn; contrary

 

Week 12

• Lament To express sorrow or regret; to mourn

• Encroach To intrude gradually; to trespass

• Dauntless Fearless; unintimidated

• Amplify To make larger, louder, or more powerful

• Passive Inactive; accepting or allowing what happened or what others do

 

Week 13

• Hearten To give strength, courage, or hope; to encourage

• Arduous Hard, difficult, tiresome

• Ideal A person or situation said to be perfect; the best result or goal

• Rudimentary Basic, crude, undeveloped

• Engulf To surround or enclose completely

 

Week 14

• Callous Unfeeling, insensitive

• Appalling Filling with dismay; causing horror

• Somber Depressing, gloomy, dark

• Connoisseur An expert, particularly in art and taste

• Fickle Changing for no reason; not loyal or consistent

 

Week 15

• Craven Lacking courage; cowardly

• Fester To generate pus; a source of resentment or irritation

• Writhe To cause to twist or bend; to suffer in pain or embarrassment

• Palpable Capable of being touched or felt

• Demise Death; the end

 

Vocabulary Words for weeks 5-8

Week #5

• Dormant - Asleep, inactive

• Volition - An act of choosing, using one's own will in a conscious choice

• Calamity - An event that causes great misfortune; a disaster

• Laudable - Worthy or deserving of praise

• Encumber - To weigh down; to burden

 

Week #6

 

• Permeate - To flow or spread through

• Feign - To give a false appearance; to pretend

• Debase - To lower in quality, character, or value

• Rivet - To hold the attention; something that fastens two parts together

• Allure - To tempt; to entice with something desirable

 

Week #7

• Futile - Having no useful result; not successful; of no importance

• Chastise - To criticize severely; to discipline

• Animosity - A strong dislike; bitter hostility

• Enrapture - To delight, to thrill or give pleasure

• Revere - To regard with great devotion or respect, to honor

 

Week #8

• Lackadaisical - Showing lack of interest

• Novelty - Newness; originality

• Abstruse - Hard to understand

• Perturb - To make uneasy; to upset

• Ajar - Partially open

 

Vocabulary Words for weeks 1-4

Week #1

• Emit – to send or give out

• Lieu – instead of; in place of

• Incessant – nonstop; continuing without interruption

• Copious – abundant; plentiful

• Languid – lacking energy; weak; showing little interest in anything

 

Week #2

• Bliss – great happiness

• Coerce – to force someone by threatening or overpowering

• Appease – to soothe; to pacify or relieve

• Infamy – an evil reputation; extreme disgrace

 

Week #3

• Reminisce – recalling the past

• Dire – disastrous; desperate

• Tenacious – tough; stubborn; not letting go

• Fraught- teeming with; full

• Badger – to tease; annoy; harass

 

Week #4

• Surreptitious – done or acting in a sly manner

• Petulant – irritable; cranky

• Incongruous – not appropriate; unsuited to the surroundings; not fitting in

• Austere – stern manner; without excess; severely simple and plain

• Scapegoat – a person or a thing carrying the blame for others