Plot I
What question did Lena's father ask her when she walked around the house with her eyes wide open?
Why do you look so scared?
In San Francisco, why did the narrator have to "lean into the slant to get home from school"
The sidewalk was so steep.
What is the name of the girl who lives in the apartment next door?
Teresa
Explain or translate into Polish: pleated
plisowana / a pleated skirt, dress, etc has a lot of flat, narrow folds
Double points if you are wearing an item of pleated clothing.
Explain what feng shui is.
a Chinese system of organizing the furniture and other things in a house or building in a way that people believe will bring good luck and happiness
What did Lena drop when she saw her neighbour for the first time?
books
The St. Clairs moved to San Francisco from ...
Oakland
What's the narrator's full name?
Lena St. Clair
(informal) to make the engine of a car go very fast by pressing the accelerator very hard
gun
to make a sudden, strong movement towards someone or something, especially to attack them
lunge
What is the Gold Spike?
a restaurant
How old is the girl who lives next door?
What is the "American" full name of Gu Ying-ying?
Betty St. Clair
to force something open
pry open
to gradually reduce the amount or effectiveness of something, especially something that you think should not be reduced
whittle away
How old is the narrator?
about 10 years old
According to Lena's mother, what happens when a kitchen faces a toilet room?
All your worth is flushed away
What are the names of the St. Clairs' friends mentioned in this chapter?
(Auntie) Su and (Uncle) Canning
a very deep space between two areas of rock or ice, especially one that is dangerous
chasm
a thin, straight opening at the bottom of the back or side of a jacket or coat
vent
What does Lena tell her mother in addition to the information about a polio vaccination.
That all students were required to use metal lunch boxes.
"My mother lost her name and became a Dragon instead of a Tiger" - explain the quote.
Lena's father changed his wife's birth year from 1914 to 1916.
Double points for noticing the yin-and-yang allusion!
What was the name of the man who scared Lena's mother?
Joe
Translate into English: zuchwałość, buńczuczność
swagger
Translate into English: wyśmiewać, chichotać, parskać śmiechem
snicker