Question

fish cheeks by amy tan 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. when i found out that my parents had invited the minister’s family over for christmas eve dinner, i cried. 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? on christmas eve i saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. she was pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns. the kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw tofu, a slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges. a howling mass of dried fungus was soaking in a bowl. a plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires. and then they arrived—the minister’s family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled christmas packages. robert grunted hello, and i pretended he was not worthy of existence. dinner threw me deeper into despair. 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. my relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. robert grimaced. 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. i wanted to disappear. at the end of the meal my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking. “it’s a polite chinese custom to show you are satisfied,” explained my father to our astonished guests. robert was looking down at his plate with a reddened face. the minister managed to muster up a quiet burp. i was stunned into silence for the rest of the night. 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 twill. “but inside you must always be chinese. you must be proud you are different. your only shame is to have shame.” 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. it wasn’t until many years later—long after i had gotten over my crush on robert—that i was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our particular menu. for christmas eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods. questions for 16-21 16. what does the menu description in paragraph 3 reveal about how the narrator views her family’s cultural traditions? a. she views them as humorous. b. she views them as disgusting. c. she views them as honorable. 17. how does the narrator’s embarrassed attitude toward her culture affect the way she describes events in the passage? a. she describes the food as foreign and unappealing. b. she focuses on her desire to be more “american.” c. she focuses on her crush’s reactions to her family. 18. 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) 19. which word best describes the tone of paragraph 5? a. miserable b. cheerful c. shocked 20. what does amy’s mother mean when she says, “your only shame is to have shame”? (paragraph 7) a. it is wrong for amy to be embarrassed of her family’s traditions. b. it is wrong for amy to be embarrassed of her love for american food. c. it is wrong for amy to be embarrassed about having a crush on robert. d. it is wrong for amy to be embarrassed about fitting in with her classmates. 21. what does paragraph 8 reveal about how the narrator’s point of view changed as she got older? a. she realized the minister’s son was not as friendly as she thought. b. she learned to love her mother’s cooking, which she previously hated. c. she regretted not expressing her real emotions to robert and his family. d. she learned to appreciate her family and her chinese american identity.

Explanation:

To solve these questions, we analyze the text "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan:

Question 16 (What does the metaphor in paragraph 3 reveal...):

The narrator’s description of traditional food (like raw fish, squid) and her worry about Robert’s reaction shows she views the traditions as potentially embarrassing or “humorous” in a self - deprecating way? Wait, no—re - reading: the narrator is worried Robert will think the traditions are odd. But the options: “She views them as humorous” (maybe self - consciously), “disgusting” (no, she’s part of the family), “honorable” (not the tone). Wait, the metaphor in paragraph 3 (maybe the food description) – the narrator’s internal dialogue about Robert’s reaction implies she sees the traditions as something that might be seen as odd, but her own view? Wait, the options: Let's check the text. Paragraph 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?” So she’s worried about how Robert sees them, and her own view—maybe she views them as humorous in her self - doubt? Wait, no, the options: The correct answer is likely “She views them as humorous” (A) – because she’s imagining Robert’s reaction in a way that’s self - deprecating, seeing the traditions as a bit comical in the context of impressing Robert.

Question 17 (How does the narrator’s embarrassed attitude...):

The narrator’s embarrassment about her culture makes her describe the food as “unappealing” (option A: “She describes the food as foreign and unappealing”). She focuses on how the food might seem odd to Robert, highlighting its foreignness and her own discomfort with it in that context.

Question 18 (Which piece of evidence...):

Option C: “I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” This shows her feelings of discomfort/embarrassment about her family’s behavior (like her father’s burp, the noisy relatives) during dinner. The other options describe actions (arrival, waiting for platters) but not her feelings.

Question 19 (Tone of paragraph 5):

Paragraph 5 describes dinner: relatives licking chopsticks, father poking fish eye. The narrator’s tone is “miserable” (A) – she’s in “deeper into despair” as per the text: “Dinner threw me deeper into despair.” So the tone is miserable.

Question 20 (Mother’s quote “Your only shame is to have shame”):

Mother is telling Amy not to be ashamed of her Chinese heritage. So option A: “It is wrong for Amy to be embarrassed of her family’s traditions.”

Question 21 (Paragraph 8 reveals...):

Paragraph 8: “It wasn’t until many years later... I fully appreciate her lesson and the true meaning of Christmas Eve that year...” So she learned to appreciate her family and Chinese American identity (option D).

Final Answers (for each question):

1. A. She views them as humorous
2. A. She describes the food as foreign and unappealing
3. C. “I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” (Paragraph 6)
4. A. miserable
5. A. It is wrong for Amy to be embarrassed of her family’s traditions
6. D. She learned to appreciate her family and her Chinese American identity

Answer:

To solve these questions, we analyze the text "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan:

Question 16 (What does the metaphor in paragraph 3 reveal...):

The narrator’s description of traditional food (like raw fish, squid) and her worry about Robert’s reaction shows she views the traditions as potentially embarrassing or “humorous” in a self - deprecating way? Wait, no—re - reading: the narrator is worried Robert will think the traditions are odd. But the options: “She views them as humorous” (maybe self - consciously), “disgusting” (no, she’s part of the family), “honorable” (not the tone). Wait, the metaphor in paragraph 3 (maybe the food description) – the narrator’s internal dialogue about Robert’s reaction implies she sees the traditions as something that might be seen as odd, but her own view? Wait, the options: Let's check the text. Paragraph 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?” So she’s worried about how Robert sees them, and her own view—maybe she views them as humorous in her self - doubt? Wait, no, the options: The correct answer is likely “She views them as humorous” (A) – because she’s imagining Robert’s reaction in a way that’s self - deprecating, seeing the traditions as a bit comical in the context of impressing Robert.

Question 17 (How does the narrator’s embarrassed attitude...):

The narrator’s embarrassment about her culture makes her describe the food as “unappealing” (option A: “She describes the food as foreign and unappealing”). She focuses on how the food might seem odd to Robert, highlighting its foreignness and her own discomfort with it in that context.

Question 18 (Which piece of evidence...):

Option C: “I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” This shows her feelings of discomfort/embarrassment about her family’s behavior (like her father’s burp, the noisy relatives) during dinner. The other options describe actions (arrival, waiting for platters) but not her feelings.

Question 19 (Tone of paragraph 5):

Paragraph 5 describes dinner: relatives licking chopsticks, father poking fish eye. The narrator’s tone is “miserable” (A) – she’s in “deeper into despair” as per the text: “Dinner threw me deeper into despair.” So the tone is miserable.

Question 20 (Mother’s quote “Your only shame is to have shame”):

Mother is telling Amy not to be ashamed of her Chinese heritage. So option A: “It is wrong for Amy to be embarrassed of her family’s traditions.”

Question 21 (Paragraph 8 reveals...):

Paragraph 8: “It wasn’t until many years later... I fully appreciate her lesson and the true meaning of Christmas Eve that year...” So she learned to appreciate her family and Chinese American identity (option D).

Final Answers (for each question):

1. A. She views them as humorous
2. A. She describes the food as foreign and unappealing
3. C. “I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” (Paragraph 6)
4. A. miserable
5. A. It is wrong for Amy to be embarrassed of her family’s traditions
6. D. She learned to appreciate her family and her Chinese American identity