View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Of her first lessons with Mr. Chong, Jing-Mei says, “I would play after him, the simple scale, the simple chord and then I just played some nonsense that sounded like” what?
(a) A crash of bricks against a tin rooftop
(b) A chorus of birds singing in the treetops
(c) A cat running up and down on top of garbage cans
(d) A solitary violin

2. Describing her mother’s reaction to her hurtful words, Jing-Mei says, “she backed out of the room, stunned, as if she were blowing away like” what?
(a) A small brown leaf, thin, brittle, lifeless
(b) A paper sack, dull and soiled
(c) A dandelion in the autumn sunset
(d) A wisp of hair, broken and abandoned

3. From what opera does Jing-Mei describe the “breasted girl with white makeup” singing from at the talent show?
(a) Madame Butterfly
(b) Les Miserables
(c) The Phantom of the Opera
(d) Guys and Dolls

4. What is Auntie Lindo’s husband’s name?
(a) Uncle Lee
(b) Uncle Tom
(c) Uncle Wu
(d) Uncle Tin

5. Jing-Mei is surprised after her “talent-show fiasco” that her mother did not do what?
(a) Slap her
(b) Yell at her
(c) Ground her
(d) Weep

6. What does Jing-Mei say she put her mother’s jewelry in after her death at the end of the story?
(a) A bank vault
(b) A post office box
(c) Special silk pouches
(d) A box made of tin

7. At the end of the story, Jing-Mei says, “After I had the piano tuned, I opened the lid and touched the keys.” How does she say it sounded?
(a) It sounded softer and more brittle than I remembered
(b) It sounded like there was a dying cat inside
(c) It sounded even richer than I remembered
(d) It sounded like my mother’s voice

8. What does Jing-Mei say to defend the young piano player on The Ed Sullivan Show when her mother criticizes her performance?
(a) I’m sure she’s practiced. Her parents have money for good training
(b) She’s pretty good. Maybe she’s not the best, but she’s trying hard
(c) She’s not that good, but she’s got a great dress and demeanor
(d) I think her playing sounds beautiful. I don’t know what you’re talking about

9. How does Jing-Mei describe the secondhand piano that her parents bought for her?
(a) It was so ratty we kept it in the basement
(b) It was the showpiece of our living room
(c) It was used like a kitchen table for years
(d) It was the eyesore of our household

10. What does Jing-Mei’s mother tell her on the phone that she has when offering her the piano for her birthday?
(a) Lots of money
(b) Natural talent
(c) Children who might want to learn
(d) Practiced skill

11. What does Jing-Mei say Mr. Chong would balance on her wrists as she practiced piano so that she would keep them still?
(a) Pennies
(b) Apples
(c) Dimes
(d) Quarters

12. What does Jing-Mei respond to her mother on the phone when her mother offers her the piano for her birthday and says, “You could been genius if you wanted to”?
(a) Yes, I know
(b) I wish I’d known then
(c) No I couldn’t
(d) I love you

13. At the talent show where Jing-Mei makes her piano debut, she describes an eleven-year-old boy who won first prize for what performance?
(a) A mime act
(b) A comedic monologue
(c) A piano solo
(d) A violin solo

14. How many days after the talent show is it when Jing-Mei is surprised that her mother insists she practice piano?
(a) 3
(b) 2
(c) 4
(d) 5

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Auntie Lindo’s daughter say matter-of-factly to Jing-Mei after her performance at the talent show?

2. What is the nickname that Auntie Lindo’s daughter is known by in the area where Jing-Mei grows up?

3. Jing-Mei says in the end of the story of her mother that she had “never found a way to ask her why she had hoped for something so large that” what “was inevitable”?

4. What does Jing-Mei’s mother die from?

5. What does Jing-Mei’s mother tell her she looks like after she’s been given a bad perm at the beauty school?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 766 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample