Unit 11 Test Review

In “Two Kinds,” how do the narrator’s interactions with Mr. Chong affect the story?

• The narrator takes advantage of the fact that Mr. Chong is hard of hearing to get away with mistakes and pretend she is improving.

• Mr. Chong’s love of music is contagious, and he motivates the narrator to practice to become a gifted pianist.

• Mr. Chong helps the narrator understand how much her parents have sacrificed to help her fulfill her dreams to become a child star.

• The narrator and her mother resolve their differences when Mr. Chong helps the narrator see she is a natural performer. 

  The narrator and her mother resolve their differences when Mr. Chong helps the narrator see she is a natural performer. 

In “Two Kinds,” how do the mother’s expectations of her daughter affect the story?

• The narrator fears she can never be what her mother wants her to be, and to deal with these feelings, she rebels.

• The narrator is inspired by her mother’s dreams for her and gains confidence as she discovers her natural talent for music.

• The narrator becomes overconfident in her abilities and, as a result, fails to learn from the mistakes that she makes.

• The narrator resents being forced to take music lessons until she sees how much her family sacrifices to buy her a piano. 

In “Two Kinds,” how does the rivalry between the narrator's mother and Aunt Lindo over whose child is most gifted affect the story?

• When the narrator overhears her mother’s bragging, she is motivated to destroy her mother’s foolish pride. 

• The relationship between the narrator and Aunt Lindo’s daughter grows stronger because they both feel pressured to succeed.

• When the narrator fails to win the talent show, her mother learns an important lesson about exaggerating the truth.

• The friendship between the narrator and Aunt Lindo’s daughter dissolves as their desire to be the best deepens. 

Read the excerpt from “Two Kinds.”

And after seeing my mother’s disappointed face once again, something inside of me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations. Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back—and that it would always be this ordinary face—I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made highpitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror.

What is the effect of the simile on the text?

• It reveals the violent side of the narrator’s personality. 

• It emphasizes the narrator’s desperation to please her mother. 

• It shows the narrator struggling to contain her emotions.

• It demonstrates how poorly the narrator is treated by her mother. 

Read the excerpt from “Two Kinds.”

But my mother’s expression was what devastated me: a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything. I felt the same way, and it seemed as if everybody were now coming up, like gawkers at the scene of an accident, to see what parts were actually missing. When we got on the bus to go home, my father was humming the busy-bee tune and my mother was silent.

What is the effect of the simile on the text?

• It explains what went wrong for the narrator during the show.

• It shows the narrator’s performance was worthy of attention. 

• It emphasizes what a disaster the narrator’s performance was. 

• It demonstrates the audience’s sympathy for the narrator.  

Read the excerpt from “Two Kinds.”

“Then I wish I wasn’t your daughter. I wish you weren’t my mother,” I shouted. As I said these things I got scared. It felt like worms and toads and slimy things were crawling out of my chest, but it also felt good, as if this awful side of me had surfaced, at last.

What is the effect of the simile on the text?

• It shows the narrator knows exactly how much her words hurt her mother. 

• It reveals the ugly nature of the narrator’s true character. 

• It emphasizes the narrator’s relief in sharing her feelings with her mother.

• It highlights how much the narrator dislikes who she is as a person.

Draw your favorite food! :)

“Two Kinds” and “Daughter of Invention” have main characters who are bicultural. 

How do the stories treat this topic? 

Select 2 Answers.

• In both stories, the characters strive to find a balance between meeting the expectations of two cultures and developing their individual identities.

• The characters in both stories resist conforming to American culture because they fear losing aspects of their heritage.

• The characters in both stories hide signs of their cultural background from the surrounding community because they want to fit in.

• In both stories, the characters use their understanding of American culture to help their parents adapt to life in a new environment.

“Two Kinds” and “Daughter of Invention” deal with conflict between children and their parents. 

How do the stories treat this topic? 

Select 2 answers.

• In both stories, different cultural values and understandings cause problems between the characters. 

• The mothers in both stories force their children to be who they want them to be, not their authentic selves. 

• In both stories, finding solutions to the problems they face together serves to strengthen the characters’ family relationships.

• When the children in the two stories assert their independence, it causes friction with their parents.

“Two Kinds'' and “Daughter of Invention” deal with characters seeking to fit into American life.

How do the stories treat this topic? 

Select two correct answers. 

• In both stories, the families grow closer by working together to replace their old ways of thinking with modern American values.

• The narrators of both stories react to the teasing from American-born children by hiding any signs of their cultural identity.

• The mothers in both stories attempt to create in themselves and their children behaviors they perceive as representative of the American Dream. 

• In both stories, conflict occurs when the narrators assert the independence they have been taught to value as Americans.