The Importance of Dialogue in "Games at Twilight"

Question: “Games at Twilight” by Anita Desai Read the story (separate doc) and answer the questions below – put the answers in the numbered spaces. Please also annotate the story and attach the annotation. Your annotations should primarily address the characters of Ravi, Mira, and Raghu and how you learn about each character, motivations, interactions, etc. What contributes to your understanding of them? In these blank spaces, write the letter of the one best answer. 1. 6. 11. 16. 2. 7. 12. 17. 3. 8. 13. 18. 4. 9. 14. 19. 5. 10. 15. 20 1. Why are the children too eager to go outdoors and play at the start of “Games at Twilight”? a. They are beginning to bicker and feel they need their own space. b. Their faces are turning red and they are having trouble breathing. c. They have been in the house all day and they are feeling restless. d. It will be a refreshing change from the heat of the house. 2. What does the narrator mean by “worthier prey” in the following passage from “Games at Twilight”? “You’re dead,” he said with satisfaction, licking the beads of perspiration off his upper lip, and then stalked off in search of worthier prey, whistling spiritedly so that the hiders should hear and tremble. a. children he dislikes b. children who will not be easily caught c. children who have chosen poor hiding places d. children he will be able to find quickly 3. In the following passage from “Games at Twilight,” what do Mira’s actions reveal about her personality? The motherly Mira intervened. She pulled the boys roughly apart. . . “Make a circle, make a circle!” she shouted, firmly pulling and pushing till a kind of vague circle was formed. a. She is a natural leader. c. She is rough and uncaring. b. She is reluctant to take charge. d. She is gentle, but stern. 4. In “Games at Twilight,” why does Ravi charge at the other children, crying, “I won, I won, I won!”? a. He is pleased with the children’s reaction to his victory. b. He is upset at being forgotten and wants their attention. c. He is angry that his brother Raghu is claiming to have known where Ravi had hidden. d. He is furious that he was chosen to be “It” in the next game. 5. What initially motivates Ravi to enter the shed in “Games at Twilight”? a. his certainty that he will win the game if he hides in there b. knowing that he can easily slip back out and find another hiding place c. his amusement that he would consider something so bold d. his fear that his brother Raghu will find him on the flower pot 6. When evaluating a character’s decision, it is important to consider a. how things might have been different if the character had made a different decision. b. the character’s problem, motivation, and the final outcome of the decision. c. the character’s other options and the pros and cons of each option. d. how the decision affected other characters in the story. 7. In “Games at Twilight,” why would the children’s games “become legitimate” in the evening? a. Their parents would sit on the lawn and watch them. b. They would play games that their parents chose for them. c. The gardener would moisten the ground, making it easier to run. d. The weather would cool down, making it safe to play outdoors. 8. Which of the following statements accurately evaluates Ravi’s decision to remain in the shed? a. Ravi made a poor decision, given the other options he had and the disappointing outcome. b. Ravi’s decision was the best he could have made considering his age and ability. c. Ravi made a pretty good decision, considering the other options available to him. d. Ravi made a poor decision, given the affect of his behavior on the other children. 9. Which of the following statements reflects Ravi’s feeling toward Raghu? a. He admires Raghu’s gentle and compassionate nature. b. He is intimidated by Raghu but also admires him. c. He thinks Raghu is a bully and has no respect for him. d. He thinks Raghu is weak and cowardly. 10. What is it about the shed that makes Ravi apprehensive? a. It is filled with broken furniture, spiders, and rats. b. It is old and rickety, and he is afraid it might fall apart. c. He is afraid that once he gets inside he will not be able to get back out. d. It is not a very good hiding place; Raghu could easily find him. 11. How do the other children feel about Ravi after he charges at them? a. They feel bad that they have forgotten about him, and they want to make it up to him. b. They are angry at him for interfering with their game. c. They don’t remember who he is at first and are not sure what he’s carrying on about. d. They are happy to see him because they were worried about him and wondered where he was. 12. Why is Ravi so determined to win the game of hide-and-seek in “Games at Twilight” ? a. Raghu always wins, and Ravi wants to show that he can win, too. b. He wants to prove something to the other children because they always tease him about his size. c. He believes that defeating the older, bigger children would be thrilling beyond imagination. d. He feels that the other children do not take him seriously. 13. What causes Ravi to finally leave the shed in “Games at Twilight”? a. He hears the other children calling for him to join them. b. He remembers that he must touch the “den” in order to win. c. He is feeling confined and overheated in the stuffy shed. d. He wants to smell the “intoxicating scent of water on dry earth.” 14. At the end of “Games at Twilight,” the other children invite Ravi to a. play a funeral game. b. play another game of hide-and-seek. c. sit on the veranda and “share a loot of mulberries.” d. run through the water falling from the hosepipe. 15. What is the subordinating conjunction that introduces the less important idea in the following sentence. Ravi had once gotten locked in the linen cupboard and sat there weeping for half an hour before he was rescued. a. for c. into b. before d. and 16. In “Games at Twilight,” another way of saying that Ravi “sidled away” is to say that he . a. crawled on his hands and knees b. walked slowly backwards c. jumped forward in an awkward manner d. moved slowly to the side 17. The word defunct means a. dirty c. dead b. thriving d. empty 18. Choose the sentence in which the less important idea is italicized. a. Only small Manu reappeared, as if he had dropped out of an invisible cloud, and stood for a moment in the center of the yellow lawn. b. Ravi sat dejectedly on the flower pot which was cut to his own size. c. The parents would sit out on the lawn on cane basket chairs and watch the children as they tore around the garden. d. It then occurred to him that he could have slipped out long ago, dashed across the yard to the veranda and touched the “den.” 19. If someone is “dogged” he or she a. is rude and obnoxious. c. likes to be in control. b. does not give in easily. d. is easily swayed. 20. Writers use subordination when they a. connect equal but unrelated ideas in a complex sentence. b. connect two subordinate clauses to form a sentence. c. connect unequal but related ideas in a complex sentence. d. connect equal ideas with a subordinating conjunction. Writing Question 21. In at least a few well-written and proofread paragraphs (no capitalization or punctuation errors—this is AICE!), explain how the use of dialogue in “Games at Twilight” contributes to the story's development. How does it affect the plot? What does it reveal about Ravi’s personality? his motivation? What does it reveal about Mira and Raghu?