How she does it – Anya Ponorovskaya

 

Pre- Reading Questions

 

1. Do you know someone who came to the United states as an immigrant and made the american dream come true? tell what this person did to become successful.

 

2. most immigrants come to the united states with exatremely limited financial resources. yet some of them manage to pursue their dreams depite the adverse circumstances discuss the driving force behind these people that helps them persevere in their goals.

 

3. Some people believe that it is better to have a stable job with benefits. others think that the rewards of entrepreneurship are worth taking the risk of starting one’s own business. in your opinion what are the advantages and disadvantages of working for an employer compared to starting a business? would you rather work for an employer or be an entrepreneur? give specific reasons for your choice.

  

Reading with a critical eye

 

1.  we learn from the article that anya arrived in the united states as a russian refugee discuss how she became an entrepreneurial powerhouse be specific as you explain the reasons for her remarkable success.

 

2. just like her mother anya keeps a positive outlook on life do you think parents can pass on their positive attitude to their children? how about a negative attitude ?

 

3. Anya went to design school at fit and worked two jobs simultaneously. later she went to ltaly to study design further tell how it is possible for a person to keep the passion for a profession alive while enduring the hardships of life give specific examples to support your answer.

 

4. Anya knew that she could not work for anyone else and that is why she started her business do you think that some people are born to be entrepreneurs and that most people are better off working 9 to 5 jobs? why or why not?

 

5.  some people argue that business and ethics cannot coexist based on the article do you think anya is doing busines in an ethical way? use specific examples from the article to support you answer.

  

Reading comprehension check 

 

1. it can be inferred from paragraph 2 of the reading that 

a. anya’s mom has lots of friends 

b. anya  doesn’t get along with her mom 

c anya’s mom struggled before coming to the united states 

d. having two children is perfect for all families 

 

2. anya moved to italy 

a. as a political refugee

b. to get out of new york

c. because her mom was there

d. to attend a design school 

 

3. the word scavenged in paragraph 4 she even hauled sheetrock  across town scavenged from a lumber yard means 

 

a. searched through discarded material 

b. stolen 

c. borrowed

d. disintegrated 

 

4. in paragraph 4, the detail of anya sacrificing her morning cup of coffee in order to buy her son a slice of pizza for dinner is offered to make the point that 

 

a. anya would give up eating for her son 

b. starting your own business as a single mo involves struggle 

c. saving money is the key to small business 

d. anya’s son was pressuring her 

 

5. if anya shows a bias in her view of business models it is 

a. in favor of innovative small businesses 

c. against creative enterprises 

d. against americian owned companies 

 

6. anya states every actions i take reflects on another human ( para.7) she makes this point in discussing 

a. her relationship with her son 

b. her relationship with her employees

c. both a and b 

d. her relationship with her boss

 

7.being a working mom helps her achieve that and she relishes in the fact that her business not only helps her provide for her own family but for her employees ( para 8) in this sentence the word relishes could be replaced by 

 

a. feels disgusted by

b. keeps calm

c. feels great pleasure

d. loses control

 

8. the example of the woman who posted a testimonial on yelp.com ( para 13) is offered to show 

 

a. how satisfied customers help anya believe in herself and her work 

b. the unpredicable nature of business 

c. that success is not all that it seems 

d. you can never trust your own judgnment 

 

9. the author’s tone in this article is 

a. deflated 

b. deeply emotional 

c. mysterious

d. optimistic 

 

10. the main idea of the reading is that 

a. with inspiration and determination anya was able to find sucess as a businesswoman in america 

b. anya’s son inspires her 

c. political refugees all have the motivation to succeed in their new lives

d. one should try to maintain contacts with their ex- husbands and ex- wives