The danger of a single storyOnline version TED Talk Chimamanda Adiche by Camila Barros 1 Check the true statements. Select one or more answers a Chimamanda is a Nigerian storyteller. b As a child, she used to read only Nigerian children's books. c She started to write stories by the age of 7. d She used to write exactly the kinds of stories she was reading. e All her characters were black and ate mangoes. f When she lived in Nigeria, they used to talk a lot about the weather. 2 Check the true statements. Select one or more answers a Children aren't impressionable and vulnerable to stories they read. b Chimamanda used to believe that books had to have foreigners in them. c Even though she lived in Nigeria, there weren't many African books available. d She personally identified with characters from American and British books. e African writers helped her change her perception of literature. 3 The discovery of African books... a made her believe people like her could not exist in literature. b saved her from having a single story of what books are. c stirred her imagination. d opened up news worlds for her. 4 Which misconceived ideas did her American roommate have about her? Select one or more answers a She didn't know English was an official language in Nigeria. b She thought they only listened to 'tribal music' in Africa. c She was shocked by the fact that there are cars in Nigeria. d She was convinced that Africans were similar to Americans in many ways. e She assumed Chimamanda was inferior to her because of where she came from. 5 Check the true statement. a Single stories are created when we tell the story of a people from different perspectives. b She defines power as the ability to make one story become the definitive story of a person. c According to the Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti, stories can't be used to dispossess a people. 6 Chimamanda didn't have a single story about Americans because of a America's cultural and economic power. b a book she read about American psychos. c her American roommate. d her American university professors. 7 According to Chimamanda, what's the problem with stereotypes? a They are always negative stories. b They are untrue stories. c They make one story become the only story. d They emphasize how we are similar. 8 Check the true statements. Select one or more answers a Stories can be used to empower and humanize. b Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity. c There is never a single story about any place. d Every story we tell about a people is true.
New game