AQA GCSE English Literature
AQA GCSE English Literature Anita and Me Exam Questions
Free AQA GCSE English Literature practice questions for Anita and Me. Covers meera Syal's Anita and Me: identity, belonging, racism, friendship, growing up, Meena, Anita Rutter, Nanima, Sam Lowbridge and Tollington.
Anita and Me practice questions
1 pack of exam-style practice questions for Anita and Me. Plan and write as many answers as you can under timed conditions, then compare them with the guidance on this page and your notes.
About AQA GCSE English Literature Anita and Me
Anita and Me is a modern prose option on AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 2, Section A, answered without an extract from a choice of two questions. Meena Kumar, the daughter of Punjabi parents, grows up in the mining village of Tollington and becomes fascinated by the older, rebellious Anita Rutter. Narrated by an adult Meena looking back, the novel blends comedy with serious events such as racist violence. Examiners reward analysis of the dual narrative voice, Meena's developing sense of identity, and context about British Asian communities and racism in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Key themes, characters and context
- Meena Meena feels caught between her Indian heritage and English village life, and she often lies or exaggerates. By the end she accepts both parts of her identity.
- Anita Rutter Anita is confident, cruel and neglected at home. Meena admires her, but Anita's link to Sam Lowbridge and her treatment of others show the friendship's limits.
- Racism Sam Lowbridge's racist speech at the fete and the attack on Mr Bhatra force Meena to see the hostility around her.
- Family and Nanima Meena's grandmother, Nanima, arrives from India and helps Meena connect with Punjabi language and culture. Her parents' gatherings show a warm community.
- Growing up Meena's accident, her stay in hospital and friendship with Robert, and passing the eleven-plus mark her move towards independence and leaving Tollington.
- Narrative voice The adult narrator adds humour and reflection to young Meena's experiences, so readers see both innocence and later understanding.
Common mistakes in Anita and Me
- Treating the novel as an autobiography. Syal drew on her childhood, but Meena is a fictional character and narrator.
- Ignoring the adult narrator's voice. Discuss how hindsight shapes humour and judgement.
- Presenting Anita as a simple villain. Show how her home life explains some of her behaviour.
- Writing about racism generally. Use specific moments such as the fete or the Bhatra attack.
- Forgetting the 'how'. AQA rewards analysis of Syal's methods, not just what Meena experiences.
Try three Anita and Me practice questions
1. How does Syal present the friendship between Meena and Anita? Write about what happens in the friendship and how Syal presents it by the way she writes. (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would discuss Meena's admiration and imitation of Anita, the adult narrator's ironic distance, Anita's cruelty and links to Sam, and Meena's eventual separation, showing how the friendship shapes Meena's identity.
2. How does Syal explore ideas about belonging in Anita and Me? (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would examine Meena's sense of being split between cultures, her parents' community, Nanima's influence, the racism of the fete and her final acceptance of who she is.
3. How does Syal present the character of Sam Lowbridge? (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would discuss Meena's early attraction to his rebelliousness, his racist speech and violence, and his parting conversation with Meena, linking him to frustration in a declining working-class village.
Anita and Me FAQs
What does AQA GCSE English Literature Anita and Me cover?
It covers the whole novel, including Meena, Anita, Meena's family, Nanima, Sam Lowbridge and Robert, and themes of identity, belonging, racism and growing up.
Which paper is Anita and Me examined in?
It is examined in Paper 2, Section A, where you choose one of two essay questions with no extract, worth 30 marks plus 4 for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
How do I revise Anita and Me?
Make a timeline of key events, learn short quotations about Meena's identity and Anita, and practise explaining how the adult narrator's voice shapes each episode.
