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Fish Cheeks

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 29mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

I fell in love with the minister’s son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but as white as Mary in the manger. For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new American nose.


Based on what Amy is praying for, the reader can infer …

a)

Amy does not like living in America

b)

Amy is unhappy with her looks

2.

When I found out that my parents had invited the minister’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried.


What is the story’s conflict?

a)

Amy is angry her mother did not get her the miniskirt she asked for

b)

Robert is rude to Amy's family at dinner

c)

Amy is embarrassed because she knows the guests won't understand her family's culture

d)

It's Christmas and Amy doesn't know what present to buy for her crush Robert

3.

What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?


Based on this text evidence, we can conclude that Amy is ...

a)

Self-assured

b)

Anxious

c)

Curious

d)

Angry

4.

After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, “You want to be the same as American girls on the outside.” She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt in beige tweed. “But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame.”

When Amy’s mother gives her the miniskirt, it shows that …

a)

She doesn't tolerate Amy's desire to be American. She thinks Amy should only identify as Chinese.

b)

She understands Amy's desire to fit in and wants to help, but, at the same time, she wants her daughter to remain true to her heritage.

5.

Which piece of evidence best reveals the narrator’s feelings about her family’s behavior during dinner?

a)

And then they arrived — the minister’s family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled Christmas packages.” ( Paragraph 4)

b)

“Robert and his family waited patiently for platters to be passed to them.” ( Paragraph 5)

c)

“I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” ( Paragraph 6)

d)

“And even though I didn’t agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had suffered during the evening’s dinner.” ( Paragraph 8)

6.

Which would be the synonym for the word despair as it is used in the following sentence: "Dinner threw me deeper into despair."

a)

excitement

b)

confusion

c)

pain

d)

hopelessness.

7.

Which word would best replace the word "muster" as it is used in the following sentence: "The minister managed to muster up a quiet burp."

a)

mobilize

b)

assembly

c)

congregate

d)

gather

8.

Why does Robert "grimace" at the dinner table? (RI.1)

a)

He is angry at his parents for making him come to this dinner.

b)

He is grossed out by what they are eating.

c)

He is upset at the speaker because she is ignoring him.

d)

He is confused by the conversation they are having.

9.

Figurative language is:

a)

Non literal language that says one thing, but means another

b)

Language you can literally understand.

c)

No idea

10.

Identify the figurative language in this quote: "A slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not be thrown in a pan of hot oil."

a)

Metaphor

b)

Hyperbole

c)

Personfication

d)

Allusion

11.

Identify the figurative language in this quote: "Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery, white sponges."

a)

Metaphor

b)

Hyperbole

c)

Personfication

d)

Simile

12.

Identify the figurative language in this quote: "A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed, so they resembled bicycle tires."

a)

Metaphor

b)

Hyperbole

c)

Personfication

d)

Simile

13.

Which line best shows the contrast of Tan’s family and Robert’s family?

a)

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

b)

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.

c)

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.

d)

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

14.

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

a)
A. She is nervous to have the boy she likes over for Christmas dinner, and so thetext focuses entirely on the boy’s reactions.
b)
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)
C. She is excited to have the minister’s son over for Christmas, and this excitementcauses her to criticize every little detail of her mother’s cooking.
d)
D. She is embarrassed by her family’s Chinese customs, and this shame influenceshow she describes the food and her family’s behavior.
15.

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

a)
A. After the dinner, she realizes that the minister’s son is not as friendly as she thought.
b)
B. As an adult, she regrets trying to fit in with other Americans and losing her identity.
c)
C. Years later, she learns to appreciate her family and her Chinese American identity.
d)
D. Years later, she learns to love her mother’s cooking, which she previously hated.
16.

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

a)
She knows her daughter is struggling with her culture.
b)
She knows her daughter loves American clothing.
c)
She knows her daughter is in love with an American boy.
d)
They live in America.
17.
How does the author use imagery in this story to set the mood?
a)
The author uses the description of Amy’s father to set a delighted mood for the dinner scene.
b)
The author uses the description of the foods in the kitchen to convey the horrified mood of the narrator before dinner.
c)
The author uses the description of Amy’s desired American features to set the self-conscious mood of the story.
d)
The author uses the description of the dinner conversation to set the boisterous mood of the dinner party.
18.
How is Amy’s point of view different from that of her mother?
a)
Amy feels ashamed because of her Chinese appearance while her mother demonstrates her cultural pride with her outward appearance.
b)
Amy’s point of view is reserved and calm, while her mother is anxious and self-conscious.
c)
Amy feels embarrassed by the shabbiness of their home while her mother feels proud that they have a home to invite guests to.
d)
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.
19.
How does the structure of paragraphs 5 & 6 contribute to the meaning of the text?
a)
The author contrasts the loud and rambunctious behaviors of Amy’s family with the quiet and polite attitudes of Robert’s to showcase their differences.
b)
The author uses the descriptions of Amy’s family members to elicit sympathy for those characters from the reader.
c)
The author uses a sequential structure to showcase the events of the dinner party as they happen, in order.
d)
The author uses description to give detail to the menu items that are being served at Amy’s house for Christmas dinner.
20.

What is revealed about the narrator's mother through the line:

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

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

d)

She loves her husband more than her daughter.