The Struggle to be an All American Girl

The author's choice to describe the appearance and smells of the Chinese school reinforce her feelings of...

• Reluctance toward being polite
• Distaste toward learning Chinese
• Hatred for the principal
• Fear of the teacher

The author introduces exaggeration through which of the following?

• "My brother was even more fanatical than I about speaking English."
• "I recognized him as a repressed maniacal child killer, and knew that if we ever saw his hands, we would be in big trouble."
• "No matter how hard she tried, Ruth always ended up as Luth or Roof."
• "In Chinatown, the commings and goings of hundreds of Chinese on their daily task sounded chaotic and frenzied."

As a child, the author thought being, "An All American Girl," meant:

• Celebrating Chinese traditions, but keeping them secret in public.
• Separating herself from her Chinese heritage.
• Learning Chinese traditions as well as the American way of life.
• Teaching her American classmates about Chinese traditions.

Which of the following pieces of evidence BEST supports the author's choice to abandon her native language?

• "My father had played a cruel joke on Mom by assigning her an American name that her tongue would not allow her to say." 
• "No amount of kicking, screaming, or pleading could dissuade my mother, who was solidly determined to have us learn the language of our heritage."
• "When I spoke English, people nodded at me, smiled sweetly, and said encouraging words.  Even the people in my culture would cluck and say that I would do well in life."
• "Although the emphasis at the school was mainly language... the lessons always began with an exercise in politeness."

In paragraph 8, the author states, "Chinese sounded PEDESTRIAN." Which of the following words has the same meaning of PEDESTRIAN as it is used in the text.

• Common
• Gentle
• Choppy
• Ignorant

In the last paragraph of the passage, the narrator says, "At last I was one of you; I was not one of them.  Sadly, I still am." This reveals:

• She wishes she had not been so embarrassed of her mother and grandmother.
• She knows that Chinese is a beautiful language.
• She is proud to be an American.
• She regrets giving up her heritage.