Mother Tongue

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Why does Tan view English as a “tool” of her trade?

A) A writer is a scholar of language.

B) A writer is a lover of language.

C) A writer is a student of literature.

D) A writer is a pupil of language variations.

2. How does Tan’s mother as her audience affect Tan’s work?

A) Tan understands her mother is unable to read her work.

B) Tan goes unappreciated by her publication boss.

C) Tan realizes her school English is inauthentic.

D) Tan values carefully wrought grammatical phrasing.

3. In what way is Tan’s “family talk” intimate?

A) It is meaningful in and outside the family.

B) It makes Tan’s mother feel public discomfort.

C) It makes Tan’s husband feel left out of the family.

D) It is meaningful only among family members.

4. According to Tan, what is the influence of her “mother tongue”?

A) It shapes Tan’s understanding of the world.

B) It helps Tan appreciate her Chinese heritage.

C) It strains Tan’s relationship with her mother.

D) It inspires Tan to express herself clearly.

5. What is problematic about the term “broken English”?

A) It conveys the inclusivity of English.

B) It suggests there is one correct English.

C) It supports English as a holistic language.

D) It reinforces the harsh sounds of English.

6. Why does Tan believe the language spoken in immigrant families particularly influences children’s developing language skills?

A) Immigrant children often receive school language services.

B) Immigrant children frequently form cliques in school.

C) Immigrant children are exempt from standardized testing.

D) Immigrant children are often isolated from their peers.

7. In the discussion of the sunset analogy, what does Tan’s thinking exhibit with regard to her thinking about English?

A) She thinks mathematically.

B) She thinks creatively.

C) She thinks logically.

D) She thinks strategically.

8. What is Tan’s explanation about why there are so few Asians in creative writing programs?

A) They show more promise in math.

B) There are few seats in these programs.

C) There is little to no social support.

D) They prefer scientific fields of study.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. Why can’t language tests capture language’s intent, passion, imagery, and rhythm?

2. Why is Tan’s mother’s opinion of her writing more important than any critic’s?