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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. How old was Shirley Temple when she began her film career?

2. What does Jing-Mei realize about the song she finds next to the one she played for the talent show at the end of the story?

3. What college does Jing-Mei say she didn’t get into, causing more disappointment for her mother?

4. 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?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jing-Mei feel about her mother’s ambitions for her at first when she is a child?

2. What is the most significant element of the communication and culture gaps between Jing-Mei and her mother in the story?

3. How does Jing-Mei describe her life as she passed from childhood to adulthood? In what ways does she say she disappointed her mother?

4. How does Jing-Mei respond to her mother’s news that she will be taking piano lessons?

5. What offer does Jing-Mei’s mother make her approaching Jing-Mei’s thirtieth birthday?

6. What do the Schumann songs at the end of the story represent symbolically?

7. What does Jing-Mei discover about Mr. Chong’s disabilities as she studies with him? How does this discovery influence her actions?

8. How do the subjects and themes in Amy Tan’s works relate to those of other Asian American authors?

9. How does Suyuan Woo go about discovering her daughter’s “genius” in the beginning of the story?

10. How does Jing-Mei describe the process of playing scales for Mr. Chong?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Suyuan Woo in “Two Kinds.” How does Jing-Mei describe her mother’s tragic history and her immigration into the U.S.? What happened to Suyuan’s young twin daughters? What does Suyuan believe? How does she change in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the character of Jing-Mei Woo in “Two Kinds.” How old is Jing-Mei when the narrative begins with her mother’s discussion of child prodigies? Does Jing-Mei comment on the action of the story or does she relate it objectively? How does this reveal her character? How does Jing-Mei change in the course of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Mr. Chong in “Two Kinds.” What was Mr. Chong’s profession prior to his retirement? How old does Jing-Mei perceive Mr. Chong to be? Where does Mr. Chong live? How does Mr. Chong relate to Jing-Mei?

(see the answer keys)

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