Name: _______________________________ Date: _____________
“Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan
Comprehension -On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following
items.
____ 1. Though the dinner seems painful to Amy at the time, how does she view it later?
a. It is such an unpleasant memory that she refuses to talk about it.
b. Since so many years have gone by, she ignores the fact that it happened.
c. She forgets the way she felt that night once her crush on Robert is over.
d. She is impressed by her mother’s love for her in making her favorite foods.
____ 2. The best example of a difference between Chinese and American cultures that
occurs in the selection is
a. rumpled Christmas wrappings
c. a Chinese girl in a miniskirt
b. a loud belch to say “thank you”
d. gatherings of family and friends
____ 3. What is one of the things for which Amy prays?
a. a tweed miniskirt
c. a family like Robert’s
b. a Christmas turkey
d. a slim, American nose
____ 4. The title “Fish Cheeks” indicates all of the following except
a. the difference between Chinese and American customs
b. Amy’s embarrassment over her family’s customs
c. Amy’s favorite part of the fish
d. Amy’s name for herself after that Christmas Eve
Reading Skills and Strategies: Describing Mental Images
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.
____ 5. Most descriptions of food in “Fish Cheeks” produce mental images that are
a. ordinary
c. unusual
b. delightful
d. confusing
____ 6. Which of the following best describes a mental image of how Amy probably looked at
the end of the dinner?
a. pale, with downcast eyes
b. flushed, with a big smile
c. exhausted, with black circles beneath her eyes
d. energetic, with a lively expression on her face
Literary Element: Description-On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the
following items.
____ 7. The phrase that is not descriptive of the Chinese dinner in the story is
a. “white sponges” of tofu
c. “roasted turkey”
b. “slimy rock cod”
d. “soaking dried fungus”
____ 8. The author’s statement that her relatives arrived “in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled
Christmas packages” appeals to the senses of
a. sight and taste
c. touch and smell
b. taste and smell
d. sight and hearing
Standardized Test-Prep
_____ 9. This passage is mainly about—
A. a writer who rediscovered her heritage
B. a writer who struggled to adjust to a new country
C. a musician who thought she wanted to be a writer
D. a woman who put her family before her career
_____ 10. What caused Amy Tan to rediscover her heritage?
F. Her mother’s love
G. Her mother’s advice
H. The books she had read
J. Changes in her family
_____ 11.What was the author’s main purpose for writing this passage
F. To encourage readers to become
writers
G. To persuade people to buy her books
H. To describe some experiences that
influenced her writing
J. To tell the story of her sisters
Vocabulary
On the line before each sentence, write the Word to Own that has a similar meaning to the italicized word or phrase in
the sentence.
appalling
wedges
clamor
rumpled
muster
____________________ 12. A loud noise filled the room as everyone greeted one another.
____________________ 13. She hoped that her outfit did not look wrinkled.
____________________ 14. She tried to call forth the courage to face him at dinner.
____________________ 15. She knew it would taste good, but the food looked horrifying.
____________________ 16. The chunks that were thick at one end and narrow at the other were cheese.
Written Response
17. Amy is the only member of her family who is embarrassed by her culture when her parents invite the
minister’s family to Christmas Eve dinner. Below, write a paragraph in which you tell about an embarrassing
moment in your life. Be sure to describe the incident in detail and tell why you were so embarrassed.
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