What is meant by "Your only shame is to have shame"?

You cannot be responsible for actions of others.

Accept others for what they are.

What lesson did the author learn from the dinner experience?

Never be ashamed of your family culture.

It helps to befriend people who are different from you.

Food can be used as a conversation starter whenmeeting someone new.

Dating outside of your race can bring shame and dishonor to your family.

What is the central idea of the narrative "Fish Cheeks"?

A girl who is embarrassed to have guests over for dinner due to her cultural differences.

A girl who is in love with the minister's son but cannot date him due to her cultural beliefs.

A girl who moved to the United States from China and is trying to fit in with her friends.

A girl who feels left out because she is Chinese and no one understands her, not even her parents.

Which quotation BEST shows the contrast of Tan’s family (the narrator) and Robert’s family (the guests)?

"My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table, dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food. Robert and his family waited patiently for platters to be passed to them."

"Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence."

"Then my father poked his chopsticks just below the fish eye and plucked out the soft meat. "Amy, your favorite," he said, offering me the tender fish cheek."

"And then they arrived – the minister's family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled Christmas packages."

What can the reader infer about the minister from the line “The minister managed to muster up a quiet burp. I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.”?

He wanted to show his appreciation for the meal.

He had an upset stomach from all of the weird foods he ate.

He was rude and really did not have good manners either.

He liked to shock people with his ability to burp.

What is revealed about the narrator's mother through the line “For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods.”?

She cared that her daughter was proud of who she was, even if it made her different.

She thought her daughter needed to be embarrassed, so she would stop trying so hard to impress boys.

She doesn’t like Americans and did not want her daughter to be too much like one.

She loves her husband and was happy that the guests came to eat his favorite foods.

How does the author use imagery in this story to set the mood?

The author uses the description of the foods in the kitchen to convey the embarrassed mood of the narrator before dinner.

The author uses the description of Amy’s father to set a delighted mood for the dinner scene.

The author uses the description of Amy’s desired American features to set the self-conscious mood of the story.

The author uses the description of the dinner conversation to set the boisterous mood of the dinner party.

How is Amy’s point of view different from that of her mother?

Amy is embarrassed by the exotic foods her mother serves, while her mother feels excited to be serving all of Amy’s favorite foods to their guests.

Amy feels ashamed because of her Chinese appearance while her mother demonstrates her cultural pride with her outward appearance.

Amy’s point of view is reserved and calm, while her mother is anxious and self-conscious.

Amy feels embarrassed by the shabbiness of their home while her mother feels proud that they have a home to invite guests to.

Which is a theme of the story?

Don't let others get too close to your heart.

Friendship is important to young people.

Love can cause us to do foolish things.

How does the narrator’s point of view affect how the events are described in the passage?

D. She is embarrassed by her family’s Chinese customs, and this shame influences how she describes the food and her family’s behavior.

A. She is nervous to have the boy she likes over for Christmas dinner, and so the text focuses entirely on the boy’s reactions.

B. She is bored with her family’s old Chinese traditions and wants to try newmodern customs, and this affects how she focuses on being more “American.”

C. She is excited to have the minister’s son over for Christmas, and this excitement causes her to criticize every little detail of her mother’s cooking.

How does the word "appalling" affect the tone in the sentence: "The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food."?

It shows that the narrator is in shock and dismay about the Chinese food that he mother has chosen to serve for the American guest.

It makes the narrator seem satisfied that her mother is cooking a buffet of Chinese dishes for their American guests.

It shows that the narrator is filled with pleasure and joy with the assortment of Chinese cuisine, all of her favorites.

It make the narrator seem judgemental about the overabundance of food that the group will not be able to finish.

"Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan

Authored by Lindsay Gum

English

6th - 8th Grade

CCSS covered

Used 106+ times

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About

This quiz focuses on literary analysis of Amy Tan's autobiographical narrative "Fish Cheeks," examining themes of cultural identity, coming-of-age, and family relationships. Designed for middle school students in grades 6-8, the assessment requires students to demonstrate sophisticated reading comprehension skills including inference, character analysis, theme identification, and understanding of literary devices such as imagery, tone, and point of view. Students must analyze the narrator's internal conflict between her Chinese heritage and desire to assimilate into American culture, evaluate character motivations and development over time, and interpret figurative language and cultural context. The questions demand higher-order thinking skills as students must synthesize textual evidence to support interpretations about the story's central message of self-acceptance and cultural pride. Created by Lindsay Gum, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 6 and 8. This comprehensive assessment serves multiple instructional purposes, functioning effectively as a summative evaluation after reading the complete narrative, a guided practice activity during literature circles, or a formative assessment to gauge student understanding of complex literary concepts. Teachers can utilize individual questions as discussion starters or reading comprehension warm-ups, while the complete quiz works well for homework assignments or unit reviews focusing on autobiography and multicultural literature. The assessment aligns with Common Core State Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1 for citing textual evidence to support analysis, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.2 for determining theme and analyzing its development, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3 for analyzing character interactions and development, and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.6 for analyzing how point of view affects story development.

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20 questions

Show all answers

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

When the Amy (the narrator) saw the food the mother was cooking, she most likely felt

amused.

surprised.

excited.

ashamed.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Why is Amy nervous about having guests over for dinner?

She lives in an apartment, and the guests live in a house.

She worries the food will not taste good.

Her mom is embarrassing and will tell a story about her childhood.

She is embarrassed about her family's Chinese customs.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Why did Amy want to "disappear" during the meal?

She was embarrassed because she accidentally belched in front of Robert.

She was embarrassed about the way her family members were eating.

She did not like the outfit that she has to wear to dinner.

She dropped her plate on Robert while serving food.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Which of the following quotes BEST supports the theme of the story?

"For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods."

"My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table..."

"You must be proud you are different."

"I fell in love with the minister's son when I turned fourteen."

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

How does the narrator's description of the cod (fish) in paragraph 3 impact the tone of the passage?

A. She describes it as “slimy” and pathetic, which contributes to the angry tone of the passage.

B. She describes it as “slimy” with “bulging eyes,” which contributes to the horrified tone of the passage.

C. She describes it as pleading with big “bulging eyes,” which contributes to the pitying tone of the passage.

D. She describes it as pleading not to be cooked, which contributes to the mocking tone of the passage.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

What does paragraph 8 reveal about the narrator’s character development?

A. After the dinner, she realizes that the minister’s son is not as friendly as she thought.

B. As an adult, she regrets trying to fit in with other Americans and losing her identity.

C. Years later, she learns to appreciate her family and her Chinese American identity.

D. Years later, she learns to love her mother’s cooking, which she previously hated.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

Why does Mother say "you want to be American girl on the outside"?

She knows her daughter is struggling with her culture.

She knows her daughter loves American clothing.

She knows her daughter is in love with an American boy.

She knows her daughter likes to eat Chinese food.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

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"Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan

When the Amy (the narrator) saw the food the mother was cooking, she most likely felt

Why is Amy nervous about having guests over for dinner?

Why did Amy want to "disappear" during the meal?

Which of the following quotes BEST supports the theme of the story?

How does the narrator's description of the cod (fish) in paragraph 3 impact the tone of the passage?

What does paragraph 8 reveal about the narrator’s character development?

Why does Mother say "you want to be American girl on the outside"?

What is meant by "Your only shame is to have shame"?

What lesson did the author learn from the dinner experience?

What is a polite custom after a meal in Chinese culture?

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