Study Guide I for "Two Kinds" from The Joy Luck Club

In "Two Kinds," what does the mother hope for her daughter?

• a. a meeting with Ed Sullivan

• b. a way to happiness

• c. a good career

• d. a special talent

Answer explanation

Remember: Her mother wanted her to be a "prodigy" and a prodigy is a child of "unusually high talent".

Which statement best explains why the daughter in "Two Kinds" develops a negative attitude toward her mother's quizzes?

• a. She finds the tests getting harder and harder.

• b. She is not interested in geography or math.

• c. She sees herself disappointing her mother.

• d. She wants to play piano instead of taking tests.

Answer explanation

The author says "And after seeing my mother’s disappointed face once again, something inside of me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised

hopes and failed expectations".

In "Two Kinds," what does the daughter realize when she becomes angry at her reflection in the mirror?

• a. If she does not become a prodigy, she will not succeed at anything.

• b. If she becomes a prodigy, she will be a sad, unpleasant girl.

• c. She has the power to decide for herself who she will be.

• d. She can be the prodigy her mother wants her to be.

Answer explanation

After looking into the mirror, the narrator says, "The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the same. I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won’ts. I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not."

In "Two Kinds," which of the following are reasons that the daughter plays badly at the talent show? Choose two options.

• a. She has not been taught well by her teacher, who is deaf.

• b. She wants Waverly, not herself, to win the talent show.

• c. She does not sincerely try to learn her selected piece.

• d. She does not wish to play well at the talent show.

• e. She is too nervous to play well in front of an audience.

Answer explanation

Mr. Chong is deaf--like Beethoven. Jing-mei doesn't try her best during her piano lessons.

Which of the following is the best definition for lamented?

• a. expressed sorrow about

• b. showed appreciation for

• c. expressed annoyance at

• d. showed anger about

Answer explanation

Lamented means to express regret.

Which situation most clearly shows an example of squabbling? Base your choice on the meaning of squabbling.

• a. Jose asks Leila for advice on how to fix his bicycle.

• b. Kim and Li fight over who gets to go first up the stairs.

• c. Jamal bores his friends with stories of winning video games.

• d. Ed and Ramón discuss their differing opinions about politics.

Answer explanation

Squabbling means to fighting noisily over small

matters.

Which situation would most likely cause a person to feel devastated? Base your choice on the meaning of devastated.

• a. Jon's younger sister cannot grasp his explanation of chemistry.

• b. Komal graduates at the top of his high school class.

• c. No one shows up for Joshua's thirteenth birthday party.

• d. Rosa must finish her homework before watching television.

Answer explanation

Devastated means destroyed or completely upset.

Read this passage from “Two Kinds.” Here, Auntie Lindo, Waverly’s mother, is speaking to the narrator’s mother about Waverly.

“She bring home too many trophy,” lamented Auntie Lindo that Sunday.

“All day she play chess. All day I have no time do nothing but dust off her winnings.”

Which statements best describe what this passage reveals about the characters and their situation? Choose all that apply.

• a. Auntie Lindo is concerned that Waverly has too few hobbies.

• b. Auntie Lindo thinks it is fine to brag if she pretends to be complaining.

• c. Auntie Lindo is tired of dusting all of Waverly’s chess trophies.

• d. Auntie Lindo likes to show off Waverly’s accomplishments.

• e. Auntie Lindo and the narrator’s mother compete over their children.

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. Part A In "Two Kinds," the mother arranges for the daughter to have piano lessons. The daughter gives the following response. "Why don't you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius!" Based on this quotation, choose what the daughter most likely believes.

• a. If her mother wants her to develop a talent, then her mother must not value her as she is.

• b. If her mother wants her to develop a talent, then her mother must realize that she is not a genius.

• c. Because she is not a genius, she does not deserve her mother's efforts to improve her.

• d. Because she is not a genius, she must work harder than other people do to succeed.

Answer explanation

The narrator no longer believes that she can be prodigy.

Part B Which additional quotation from "Two Kinds" best supports the answer to Part A?

• a. In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect.

• b. It was as if I knew, without a doubt, that the prodigy side of me really did exist. I had no fear whatsoever, no nervousness.

• c. I felt the shame of my mother and father as they sat stiffly throughout the rest of the show.

• d. "You want me to be someone that I'm not!" I sobbed. "I'll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be!"