Q5 Mock Test

Both texts are about how stereotypes shaped the authors writings - toward black people and African
people. In text 1, the author writes an article in first person about his personal experiences with
racial stereotyping toward black people due to his African heritage and how it has shaped his writing
as a second generation African. The writing in text 1 is filled with anecdotes and a dialogue filled
with humour to captivate the readers. Whereas in text 2, the author is giving a speech about “the
danger of a single story” which shows how she was racially stereotyped when moving from Africa to
the USA due to the singular narrative Americans had about African people and how it shaped her
writing. It also shows how she stereotyped Mexican people due to the singular narrative of Mexican
people, showing how dangerous stereotyping can be. The writing in text 2 is directly talking to the
audience using anecdotes filled with humour to convince the audience on the danger of a single
story.

Both texts are written in first person and use anecdotes filled with humour to convey how they have
dealt with racism. In text 1, Walker is reluctantly talking to a man about his African American
Literature course, when he jokes, using a humorous tone about how his Literature course “started
with 2” black students” “but ended with 28”. Walker is innocently using humour to mock the man as
he seemed to be obsessed with his African heritage. To which the man replies, “What do they do,
smear their faces with burnt cork”. Here, Walker uses his own first-hand experience to show the
readers how racism is still prevalent today and how “white saviours” are still racists and just
victimising African people. The use of the writing being in first person shows how this conversation
with “white saviours” happens with African people all around the world, with “white saviours” trying
to victimise them. This is also shown with the anonymity of pronoun “the man”, showing how global
and widespread this issue of stereotyping is. Similarly, in text 2, Adichie’s roommate inquires about
her African heritage and asks to listen to some of her “tribal music” and is subsequently “very
disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey”. Here Adichie uses a humorous tone to
describe an incredibly racist scenario encounter, but she displays it as just a funny anecdote to show
how her roommate was a victim to “the danger of single story” and convince the audience how
powerful a single narrative can be. The use of the rhetoric device of a speech instead of writing
shows that Adichie is trying to create a personal connection with the audience, trying to engage
them and convince them of the dangers of a “single story”.