Print
Word
PDF
|
| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. How does Jing-Mei say her academic career ended in “Two Kinds”?
2. When was the Chinese Exclusion Act signed into law?
3. One of the tests that Jing-Mei’s mother gave her as she attempted to lure out the prodigy in her daughter was predicting the daily temperatures in what three cities?
4. How many days after the talent show is it when Jing-Mei is surprised that her mother insists she practice piano?
5. What does Jing-Mei kick under her feet as her mother drags her to the piano for practice after the talent show?
Short Essay Questions
1. When does Jing-Mei’s mother first introduce to her the concept of a child prodigy?
2. How did critics receive The Joy Luck Club and “Two Kinds” upon publication?
3. Why do you think the author chose to set the story (and the others in The Joy Luck Club) in San Francisco?
4. How does Jing-Mei describe Mr. Chong when she begins piano lessons with him? What does she secretly nickname him?
5. How does the concept of identity relate centrally to the conflicts in “Two Kinds”?
6. How does Jing-Mei describe the piece she is to play at the talent show? How does she describe her practice for the performance?
7. How does Jing-Mei respond to her mother’s offer on her thirtieth birthday?
8. What theme connects “Two Kinds” to the other stories in The Joy Luck Club?
9. What does Jing-Mei say to her mother to hurt her during their conflict in the climax of the story? How does Suyuan respond?
10. How does the central conflict of the story begin to manifest in Jing-Mei’s mind following her revelation in the mirror?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss the history of Chinese immigration in the United States. In what ways have Chinese immigrants faced different hurdles in assimilating into American or other Western cultures as immigrants? How is this seen in Jing-Mei’s family in “Two Kinds”?
Essay Topic 2
Identify and discuss the elements of narrative style in “Two Kinds.” Is the story related in the past, present or future tense? Is the story told from a first, second, or third person narrator? Is the narrator involved in the action? Examine the different reasons the author may have chosen this style. What do you think it adds to the story?
Essay Topic 3
Describe and discuss the conflict between Jing-Mei and Suyuan Woo regarding Jing-Mei’s piano lessons in the narrative. How does Jing-Mei respond to her mother’s news that she has arranged for lessons? Why does Suyuan slap Jing-Mei? How does Jing-Mei respond?
|
This section contains 943 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
|
