Ta-Na-E-Ka
Why does Mary not want to participate in Ta-Na-E-Ka?
She thinks it is an old tradition and has no intention of living on a reservation.
Why does the narrator's brother have an easier time making friends in American than she does?
He plays baseball with other kids and dresses like the other boys in school.
Why does Aaron take the pigeon home?
It has a broke wing, and he wants to fix it.
Vocabulary: clever or sharp
Shrewd
Vocabulary: to know someone but not know him or her well
What does Mrs. Richardson say to try to sway Mary's attitude toward participating in Ta-Na-E-Ka?
She says that everyone has rituals, and Mary should respect her heritage.
What makes the narrator's mother decide to buy her daughter a pair of jeans?
She does not want her daughter's skirt to be pushed up when she rides a boy's bicycle.
What is the message behind Aaron's grandmother's story of the old days in the Ukraine?
Prejudice against a race or religion can cause people to act in inhumane ways.
Vocabulary: a strange or impressive sight
Spectacle
Vocabulary: to kill someone of importance
Assassinate
When Grandfather was a boy, why were mothers not allowed to weep over children who did not return from Ta-Na-E-Ka?
If they could not figure out how to survive, they were not worth mourning.
Why is the narrator surprised when she looks at Meg's plate during dinner at the Lin's home?
She sees that Meg is not being mindful of Chinese etiquette.
He hits Carl in the face and runs away with the pigeon.
Vocabulary: to gently calm
Soothe
Vocabulary: happy or satisfied
Contented
Why don't Roger and Mary experience Ta-Na-E-Ka together?
According to traditional rules, they must stake out separate territories.
Neither family knows how to behave at the other family's party.
What was the gift that Aaron gave to grandmother?
Pidge's freedom
Vocabulary: abundantly; plentifully
Vocabulary: comfort when sad or disappointed
Console
What is the theme of Ta-Na-E-Ka?
It is important to value your identity and heritage.
What is the main idea of "The All-American Slurp"
an immigrant Chinese family trying to adapt to life in America
What event (about Pidge) is crucial to understanding the theme?
Pidge suddenly beating his wings and flying away
Vocabulary: pause before saying or doing something
Hesitate
Vocabulary: acceptable manners and behavior