"Fish Cheeks" - Short Story by Amy Tan

Recall: TONE is the writer's feeling toward a subject.

How does the narrator's description of the cod in paragraph 3 impact the TONE of the passage?

• She describes it as “slimy” and pathetic, which contributes to the angry tone of the passage.

• She describes it as pleading not to be cooked, which contributes to the mocking tone of the passage.

• She describes it as "slimy" with "bulging eyes," which contributes to the horrified tone of the passage.

• She describes it as pleading with big “bulging eyes,” which contributes to the pitying tone of the passage.

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CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

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CCSS.RL.8.6

How does the narrator’s point of view affect how the events are described in the passage?

• She is nervous to have the boy she likes over for Christmas dinner, and so the text focuses entirely on the boy’s reactions.

• She is bored with her family’s old Chinese traditions and wants to try new modern customs, and this affects how she focuses on being more “American.”

• She is excited to have the minister’s son over for Christmas, and this excitement causes her to criticize every little detail of her mother’s cooking.

• She is embarrassed by her family's Chinese customs, and this shame influences how she describes the food and her family's behavior.

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CCSS.RL.5.3

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What does the word "despair” mean as used in paragraph 5?

• shock

• misery

• frustration

• disgust

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CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

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Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to the last question regarding the meaning of the word "despair"?

• “Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.” (Paragraph 4)

• “My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table.” (Paragraph 5)

• “I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” (Paragraph 6)

• "How much I had suffered during the evening's dinner." (Paragraph 8)

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CCSS.RI.5.4

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Who had Amy's family invited to Christmas dinner, and why is it important to Amy?

• her math teacher in whose class she is struggling and uncomfortable

• her piano teacher who is very harsh and strict

• her family's pastor with his family and son whom Amy fell in love with at age fourteen

• her next door neighbors whom she disliked very much

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CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.1.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

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“You want to be the same as American girls on the outside," said Amy's mother as she handed her an early gift of a mini-skirt like the other girls wore. But what advice did she give Amy?

• "You must forget Chinese customs and blend in."

• "Being Chinese is the only thing that really matters."

• “But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame.”

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CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What was significant about the meal Amy's mother had prepared for Christmas dinner?

• They were traditional foods for a Christmas celebration.

• They were all Amy's favorite foods.

• They were requested by Amy's father.

• They were inexpensive and could feed a large crowd.

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CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

What is the real conflict in the story "Fish Cheeks"?

• Internal - Amy's mother thinks her guests don't like her cooking.

• External - Amy is angry with Robert.

• Internal - Amy is embarrassed by her family's customs and behaviors during dinner.

• External - Amy dislikes Robert because he bullies her at school.

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CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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What literary device does Amy Tan use in the following description?

The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: 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 bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires.

• metaphor

• simile

• personification

• imagery

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CCSS.RI.4.5

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What is the resolution to Amy's conflict in this story?

• She eventually marries Robert.

• Her family moves away, and she is able to put the embarrassing evening behind her.

• When Amy is much older, she fully understands her mother's motives in the meal choice that Christmas and her mother's actions.

• She forgives her father for belching rudely after dinner and her family for licking their chopsticks before reaching across the table for more food.

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CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3