Text
Iza aho? is a short story by Ratsifandrihamanana. It is about a man who is alienated by the idea that his stepdaughter became his stepmother.
"Iza aho" no miverimberina matetika, miretsidretsika ato amiko; -Zanak'iza? Vadin'iza? Rafozan'iza? Vinanton'iza? Rain'iza? Zafikelin'iza? Raiben'iza?... Toa mihanihany maika manirikiry ahy ny fahalalana fa misy ny aretin-tsaina izay itrangan'ny atao hoe: fanadinoana tapatapany. Ndrao, sanatria, dia voan'izany aho?.
Ratsifandrihamanana, Lavakombarika, 2005 (1965), p 137.
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Vocabulary:
aretim-tsaina: mental illness
fanadinoana: memory loss
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Reading comprehension:
Look at the family tree, which summarises the text. Can you answer the following questions
A-Is it true or wrong
1-raiko i dada
2-anabaviko i Zaory
3-renikeliko i Zaory
B-Choose from the different choices, there is one true answer:
1-Before their marriage, my father was ..... to Zoary
a-raikely
b-vady
c-dadabe
2- After their marriage, my father became ..... to my stepsister?
a-raikely
b-vady
c-zaodahy
3-After their marriage, Zoary, my stepsister became my.... :
a-anabavy
b-rafozona
c-renikely
2-My father who married my stepsister became my ...:
a-zaodahy
b-ray
c-dadatoa
3-My father became .... to my wife?
a-zaodahy
b-vinantolahy
c-rafozana
4-My wife became ... to my father:
a-rafozana
b-vady
c-vinantovavy
4-I became .... to my wife
a-dadatoa
b-zaobavy
c-zaodahy
5-My father and Zaory had a son, Manga, Manga is my .....?
a-anadahy
b-rahalahy
c-zanakanadahy
6- Sely and I had a daughter, Niry. She is .........to my brother Manga?
a-zanakanabavy
b-zanaky ny mpirahavavy
c-zanaky ny mpirahalahy
Answers
A- 1/2/3: true
B-1-a; 2-b;3-c; 4-a; 5-b; 6-c;
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"(...)...vavimatoanay sy Sely i Zaory, zafikelinay anefa i Manga zanak'i Zaory, ary satria renikeliko i Zaory dia mazava ho azy fa zafikelinay i Niry zanakay. Tsy zanakay naterakay ve i Niry? zafikelin'i Zaory zanakay ve izy? Zafiafinay izany i Niry naterakay?...(...). Ny tenako no vadin'i Sely, Renibeko i Sely ka moa Dadaben'ny tenako aho? Mila ho adala ny lohako: "Iza aho?".
C. Ratsifandrihamanana, 2005. p143-144.C.
ny tenako: myself (my body)
1-I am the grandfather of...?
a-Izaho
b-Niry
c-Manga
Answer:
1-a (izaho=ny tenako: me, myself)
