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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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”?

2. When Jing-Mei’s mother enrolls her in piano lessons, Jing-Mei says, “I can’t play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn’t” what?

3. What does Jing-Mei say she never really did while she practiced for her talent show?

4. By the time that Jing-Mei is preparing to play in the talent recital, her parents have bought her what kind of secondhand piano?

5. What does Jing-Mei’s mother trade with Mr. Chong so that Jing-Mei may take piano lessons from him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jing-Mei discover about playing the piano as she begins her studies with Mr. Chong?

2. What happens when Suyuan Woo quizzes her daughter on country capitals? What other activities does she test out on Jing-Mei when she is young?

3. Describe the narrative style of the story. Who is the narrator and how is her perspective defined?

4. How does Jing-Mei describe the piano at her parents’ house when she returns following her mother’s death?

5. What child star does Suyuan Woo attempt to mold her daughter into? What happens with this attempt?

6. How do Jing-Mei’s feelings about her mother’s ambitions begin to change early in the story? What causes her feelings to change?

7. What does Jing-Mei find when she takes her bow after her performance at the talent show?

8. What are Suyuan Woo’s views of opportunity in America, as noted by the narrator in the opening of the story?

9. How do Suyuan Woo’s actions in the story encourage the wrong responses from her daughter? What effects does this have on Jing-Mei?

10. How does the narrative style in “Two Kinds” shift throughout the story? Why does it shift?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Ed Sullivan, Ginny Tiu and Edvard Grieg. How influential was The Ed Sullivan Show on the culture of America during the time that it aired? Who was Ginny Tiu and how does her image factor into the story? What music does Ginny Tiu play on the show and how does Jing-Mei’s mother respond?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the conflict between Jing-Mei and Suyuan Woo regarding Jing-Mei’s piano lessons in the narrative. How does Jing-Mei respond to her mother’s news that she has arranged for lessons? Why does Suyuan slap Jing-Mei? How does Jing-Mei respond?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the imagery and symbolism of Jing-Mei’s transformation that occurs when she cries in the mirror. How does the image of Jing-Mei’s reflection give her strength? What does she do with this strength? What does this moment signify in Jing-Mei’s life?

(see the answer keys)

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