The Winter Hibiscus

Why does Saeng decide to help her mother in the garden instead of leaving early for the driving test as she had intended?

• The bitter melon being harvested by her mother is one of Saeng's favorite foods.

• She knows that her mother cannot get the necessary work done without her help.

• The way that her mother asks for her help appeals to Saeng's sense of family and duty.

• She realizes that being early for the test would mean she's have to stand around and wait.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

How is Saeng's experience with the driving test different from her experiences with the other tests?

• She doesn't pass this test.

• This test is difficult for her.

• This test has importance for her.

• She hasn't prepared to take this test.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

What is most appealing to Saeng about the hibiscus plant that she finds in the greenhouse?

• its color

• its smell

• its hardiness

• its familiarity

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In this sentence, what is the most likely meaning of moldered?

Instead, Saeng had simply taken the carefully pressed leaves out and left them in a pile in her room, where they moldered, turned smelly, and were eventually tossed out.

• decayed

• remained

• slowly dried

• created beauty

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

What is most likely the meaning of elvolved in this sentence?

In the four years since they had migrated to America, they had evolved a kind of bilingual dialogue, where her parents would contine to address her brothers and her in Laotian, and they would reply in English, with each side sometimes slipping into the other's language to convey certain key words that seemed impossible to translate.

• taught to others

• been amused by

• gradually developed

• suddenly remembered

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

What is most likely the meaning of scrutinized in this excerpt?

And why, among all these foreign maples and oak leaves, did it seem so very familiar? SHe scrutinized the bush, but it was no help; if there had been any flowers on it, they had already fallen off.

• noticed

• memorized

• quickly observed

• carefully examined

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Whta is the main way in which Saeng sees David and the tall, blond girl as different from her?

• They are short, she is not.

• They are quiet, and she is talkative.

• They behave well, and she does not.

• They fit in easily, and she is an outsider.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Saeng burst into tears when she visits the greenhouse. Which reason best explains her reaction?

• She sees many familiar tropical plants.

• She can't bear the sight of the plants' beauty.

• SHe is overpowered by memories that the plants bring to mind,

• She is dismayed to see plants in pots instead of growing naturally.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which of the following excerpts best supports the idea that Saeng regains some hope after she returns home?

• Saeng did not dare to look her mother in the eye. Instead, she stared at the hibiscus plant and nervously tore off a leaf, shredding it to bits.

• There was a frail, wiry beauty to her [Saeng's mother] that touched Saeng deeply.

• [Saeng] realized that many of the things that she had thought of as strange had become... almost familiar to her now.

• ...Saeng vowed silently to herself, in the spring, when... this hibiscus is budding, then I will take that test again.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4