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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The Magnuson Act was passed in the year that China became what?
(a) An official ally to the U.S. in World War II
(b) An official ally to the Germans in World War II
(c) An official ally to the U.S. in World War I
(d) An official ally to the U.S. in the Korean War

2. Jing-Mei describes sitting down nightly with her mother to examine stories of child prodigies when she was a child. The first of these stories is about a boy who knows all the state capitals and most of the European countries at what age?
(a) 5
(b) 3
(c) 12
(d) 2

3. Of her first lessons with Mr. Chong, Jing-Mei says, “I would play after him, the simple scale, the simple chord and then I just played some nonsense that sounded like” what?
(a) A cat running up and down on top of garbage cans
(b) A crash of bricks against a tin rooftop
(c) A chorus of birds singing in the treetops
(d) A solitary violin

4. What similarity does Amy Tan share with Jing-Mei from “Two Kinds”?
(a) Her father was an Italian dentist
(b) Her mother committed suicide when she was young
(c) Her brother went on to become a lawyer
(d) Her mother left behind children in China

5. What does Jing-Mei’s mother die from?
(a) Tuberculosis
(b) A car accident
(c) A brain aneurysm
(d) Cancer

6. At what time does Jing-Mei have access to Mr. Chong’s piano for her daily practice sessions when she begins studying with him?
(a) 2:00-6:00 p.m.
(b) 4:00-6:00 p.m.
(c) 3:00-5:00 p.m.
(d) 6:00-9:00 p.m.

7. When Jing-Mei refuses to practice piano after the talent show, she tells her mother, “Why should I? I’m not” what?
(a) Your daughter
(b) Talented
(c) You
(d) A genius

8. Where did Jing-Mei’s mother abandon her first children, hoping for them to become adopted?
(a) In a church cemetery
(b) On church steps
(c) Under a barren tree
(d) In a ditch outside of town

9. Who founded the Ripley’s Believe It or Not franchise?
(a) James Ripley
(b) Robert Ripley
(c) George Ripley
(d) Alexander Ripley

10. When Jing-Mei’s mother asks her for the capital of Finland, Jing-Mei responds with the capital of what country in the beginning of the story?
(a) Kenya
(b) France
(c) Australia
(d) Great Britain

11. At the talent show where Jing-Mei makes her piano debut, she describes an eleven-year-old boy who won first prize for what performance?
(a) A mime act
(b) A violin solo
(c) A piano solo
(d) A comedic monologue

12. What does Jing-Mei’s mother tell her on the phone that she has when offering her the piano for her birthday?
(a) Practiced skill
(b) Children who might want to learn
(c) Lots of money
(d) Natural talent

13. What is Auntie Lindo’s husband’s name?
(a) Uncle Tom
(b) Uncle Wu
(c) Uncle Tin
(d) Uncle Lee

14. When does Jing-Mei say her mother came to America?
(a) 1949
(b) 1958
(c) 1960
(d) 1981

15. Of the composition that the piano prodigy plays on The Ed Sullivan Show, Jing-Mei says, “I remember the song, because later on” what?
(a) I had to learn how to play it
(b) I heard it again on the radio
(c) It was the song played at my mother’s funeral
(d) I had that song played at my wedding

Short Answer Questions

1. How old is the boy at the talent show that is described as wearing a fake moustache and doing a magic show?

2. By the time that Jing-Mei is preparing to play in the talent recital, her parents have bought her what kind of secondhand piano?

3. Jing-Mei says in the end of the story that she had never asked her mother about her hope, “And that even worse, I never asked her what frightened me the most”. What is the question that so frightened Jing-Mei?

4. Who performs first at the talent show where Jing-Mei makes her piano debut?

5. What musical term, taught by Mr. Chong to Jing-Mei in their lessons, means pertaining to the highest part in harmonized music?

(see the answer keys)

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