1. What nickname does Jing-Mei say she secretly gave Mr. Chong when she began taking piano lessons with him?
(a) Wicked Chong
(b) Wise Chong
(c) Old Chong
(d) Sage Chong

2. What word from the story mean to find fault in, blame, or censure?
(a) Adulterate
(b) Tolerate
(c) Reproach
(d) Confiscate

3. Jing-Mei describes the sound of the “bellows of the foghorns out on the bay” as sounding like what?
(a) The bellows of a church horn
(b) The sound of my fury
(c) The sound of whales crying
(d) The cow jumping over the moon

4. How does Jing-Mei describe her school achievements in “Two Kinds”?
(a) I skipped two grades
(b) I didn’t get straight A’s
(c) I flunked every class twice
(d) I got straight A’s

5. What does Auntie Lindo’s daughter say matter-of-factly to Jing-Mei after her performance at the talent show?
(a) You should really be a singer
(b) You’re not as talented as you think you are
(c) You did a wonderful job
(d) You aren’t a genius like me

Short Answer Questions

1. Jing-Mei says that during her childhood, the tests her mother gave her “got harder—multiplying numbers in my head, finding” what card in a deck of cards?

2. What color dress does Jing-Mei wear for her piano debut at the talent show?

3. How does Jing-Mei describe the secondhand piano that her parents bought for her?

4. Jing-Mei describes the girl playing piano on The Ed Sullivan Show as having the sauciness of whom?

5. How long ago does Jing-Mei say she sent a tuner to her parents’ apartment to recondition the piano at the end of the story?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 328 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample