The Partition Project: Chapters 24–30

by Saadia Faruqi
Growing up in America, middle-schooler Mahnoor knows little of her Pakistani heritage. Dadi, her Pakistani grandmother, comes to visit and shares with Mahnoor her own childhood, passing on her lived experience of the Partition of India and Pakistan.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–12, Chapters 13–23, Chapters 24–30, Chapters 31–39
15 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lull
    make calm or still
    Oh, and I slept a lot, just lulled by the movement of the train.
  2. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    Mahnoor: What did you see?
    Rafia: A group of angry-looking men, brandishing guns, running toward the train.
  3. arrogance
    overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner
    I grit my teeth as I look at her. I’m so over her arrogance. “What. Do. You. Mean?”
  4. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    Talking was an understatement, though. They’d been arguing, waving their hands. One uncle even stood up and walked out.
  5. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    There were makeshift camps set up on the side of the roads, just people sitting on the ground, looking exhausted, crying, wailing, or just quietly staring like they couldn’t believe what they were going through.
  6. sentry
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    Across the tracks, there’s a bench. A tiny figure with white hair sits on it, hunched up. A walking stick stands next to her, like a sentry, and a small bag is at her feet.
  7. nefarious
    extremely wicked
    “Listen, this wasn’t a nefarious plan, okay? Dadi’s been telling me stories about her childhood. And your childhood. And her life in India and Pakistan and so much other stuff.”
  8. self-righteous
    excessively or hypocritically pious
    “That’s...” Abba begins.
    I don’t let him speak. I’m on a roll now. Self-righteous. Angry.
  9. tapestry
    a wall hanging of heavy fabric with pictorial designs
    “And when you think of everyone’s stories, all the people on that train with you, or walking on the streets with you, they make one giant—I don’t know—tapestry or whatever. I want to feel proud of those stories. And I want to tell everyone about them.”
  10. aback
    by surprise
    Tiffany looks taken aback. “Are you serious?”
  11. sympathetic
    showing or motivated by understanding and generosity
    She’s finished her chai and is standing at my side with a sympathetic look on her face.
  12. fend
    try to manage without help
    The supplies were so limited compared to the number of people who showed up every single day. So, we all had to fend for ourselves.
  13. cholera
    a contagious disease that affects the small intestine
    Rafia (biting her lip): Jamal got cholera one week after we arrived at Walton, and then Hakam got it too, because they always did everything together.
  14. typhoid
    infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration
    They died. Oh, they weren’t the only ones. Hundreds of people died of cholera and dysentery and typhoid every day at that camp.
  15. consolation
    the act of giving relief in affliction
    The only consolation was that everyone around us was going through the same thing. I didn’t know anyone in that camp who hadn’t lost someone. Who wasn’t hungry and thirsty and fearful. It was just...a terrible time.
Created on Wed Jul 01 15:36:46 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Aug 03 18:26:26 EDT 2026)

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