1. Jing-Mei soon learns after beginning her piano lessons with Mr. Chong that he is deaf. He compares himself to what composer, saying “We’re both listening only in our head”?
(a) Berlioz
(b) Chopin
(c) Beethoven
(d) Mozart

2. How old does Jing-Mei say she was when her mother told her “Of course you can be prodigy too” in the beginning of the story?
(a) 5
(b) 7
(c) 9
(d) 3

3. What sensation does Jing-Mei describe as she begins hitting one wrong note after another during the talent show?
(a) A chill started at the top of my head and began to trickle down
(b) I felt a wave of terror and then everything went black
(c) A burning sensation in my heart and then an inability to breathe
(d) A shiver of excitement started in my hands and spread up my arms

4. Why does Jing-Mei say she sent a tuner to recondition the piano at her parents’ house?
(a) Because I planned to play it again
(b) Because I wanted to sell it
(c) For purely sentimental reasons
(d) Because I wanted to have it appraised

5. What is the neighborhood called where Jing-Mei’s family lives when she’s a child?
(a) SoHo
(b) Chinatown
(c) Little Italy
(d) Nob Hill

Short Answer Questions

1. While watching the young piano prodigy on The Ed Sullivan Show with her mother, Jing-Mei says, “In spite of these warning signs, I wasn’t worried.” Why was Jing-Mei not concerned?

2. What does Jing-Mei say to defend the young piano player on The Ed Sullivan Show when her mother criticizes her performance?

3. How old was Shirley Temple when she began her film career?

4. How does Jing-Mei described her family’s kitchen table where she would sit after dinner with her mother during her childhood?

5. What is the nickname that Auntie Lindo’s daughter is known by in the area where Jing-Mei grows up?

(see the answer key)

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