Mother Tongue by Amy Tan Review #1 – Flashcards

Amy Tan describes her mother's language as being a) broken b) descriptive c) negative d) illustrative

because of her language, Tan's mother is subjected to all of the following behaviors from others EXCEPT a) berating her openly b) acting as if they didn't hear her c) ignoring her entirely d) failing to take her seriously

while growing up, what assumption did Amy Tan make about her mother because of her mother's language skills? a) her mother was speaking that way on purpose just to embarrass Tan b) Her mother had an undiagnosed mental illness c) her mother's spoken language was imperfect, so her ideas must be imperfect d) her mother wasn't intelligent

when Tan finally spoke to her mother's doctor about the lost CAT scan, what did the doctor do? a) patiently repeated what he had already told her mother b) ignored her because she had not right to her mother's medical records c) compromised with her on the need to repeat the CAT scan d) apologized to her and assured her that the lost CAT scan would be found

which of the following episodes from the text best demonstrates a reversal of traditional parent child roles? a) taking standardized tests b) attending Du Vuzong's wedding c) talking to the stockbroker d) writing The Joy Luck Club

what does Tan's mother say about The Joy Luck Club, the novel Amy Tan wrote? a) It revealed far too much personal information about their family b) it portrayed Chinese culture inaccurately c) it was too complex d) it was easy to read

why did Tan include direct quotes from her mother in this essay? a) to show why her friends couldn't understand her mother b) to make fun of her mother's English skills c) to show how her mother's English sounded to everyone else d) to make the problem public so she could correct her mother's English later

Tan uses examples of the talk she gave about her book to express her main idea that a) she isn't a scholar of literature or of the English language b) language exists at the intersection of memory and imagination c) her public English is different from the language she uses with her mother d) she once wrote in a seemingly more sophisticated, yet lifeless, English

why does Tan only briefly mention that her father and brother both died of brain tumors? a) she wasn't close to them and didn't care deeply about their passing b) her mother asked her not to write about them c) it was such a long time ago and no longer an important part of her life d) they are not the main focus of the story

Tan uses examples of analogy questions on tests as a supporting detail for the main idea that a) her mother had taught her to understand logical relationships b) ways of thinking in Chinese are fundamentally different from ways of thinking in English c) the abilities of Asian American students are often limited by language exposure d) her mind worked differently than other people's in terms of language