2
QuizMultiple Choice

Short Story: "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan

Question 2 • VA-English 10 CR

Read the excerpt below from the short story “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan and answer the question that follows. “Bite back your tongue,” scolded my mother when I cried loudly, yanking her hand toward the store that sold bags of salted plums. At home, she said, “Wise guy, he not go against wind. In Chinese we say, Come from South, blow with wind—poom!—North will follow. Strongest wind cannot be seen.” The next week I bit back my tongue as we entered the store with the forbidden candies. When my mother finished her shopping, she quietly plucked a small bag of plums from the rack and put it on the counter with the rest of the items. When the narrator bites back her tongue, what two forces are struggling?

Answer
A
Meimei vs. self
B
Lindo vs. Meimei
C
Lindo vs. self
D
Lindo vs. Lau Po

Explanation

Meimei wants the salted plums, but her mother has taught her to stay quiet and control her reaction. When Meimei “bites back” her tongue, she is struggling between her own desire to protest and her effort to obey or restrain herself. The conflict is Meimei versus herself, not a direct struggle with her mother.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

Previous
Next