Chinese Cinderella Study Questions (Chapter 1-11)



Chinese Cinderella Study Questions (Chapter 1-11)

Chapter 1 (pgs. 1-3)

1. When does this story begin?

2. What is Adeline’s great accomplishment in this chapter?

3. What is Aunt Baba like?

4. What does Aunt Baba keep in her safe deposit box? Why?

5. How did Adeline’s mom die?

6. Why is Adeline bad luck?

Memoir: Write about a memory you have when you had a great accomplishment at school.

Chapter 2 (pgs. 4-6)

1. How many siblings does Adeline have? What are they like?

2. Describe Niang.

3. What does Adeline call her grandparents?

4. What country occupies Tianjin?

Memoir: Share a memory you have about a special relationship you have with a relative, similar to Aunt Baba and Adeline.

Chapter 3 (pgs. 7-11)

1. Explain what happened to Nai Nai’s feet.

2. How does second brother treat Adeline?

3. What is Big Brother’s personality like?

4. How about third brother?

5. What is Big Sister like?

6. How do you perceive Niang’s birth children in this story? What is the difference between them and Adeline’s blood siblings?

7. How does Adeline’s father feel about her medal?

8. What does Adeline feel she must do to make her family proud?

Memoir: Share a moment when you feel someone was favored over you. How did it make you feel?

Chapter 4 (pgs 12-21)

1. What is the rickshaw a symbol of?

2. How does Adeline feel about school?

3. Why is the school medal so important to Adeline? What is it symbolic of?

4. What happens at the awards ceremony that makes Adeline sad?

5. How do the people native to Tianjin feel about Japan? Why?

6. What happens to father and Niang in this chapter?

7. What was Adeline’s life like after this?

8. What happens to Nai Nai in this chapter? How do you think this will change Adeline’s life?

Memoir: Share a story that is told often by one of your family members about how your childhood is different than theirs.

Chapter 5 (pgs 22-25)

1. Where does Adeline move in this chapter?

2. How does Adeline feel about Jackie?

3. What does their home life in Shanghai seem like?

Memoir: Tell a story about a family pet or a time when you had to move.

Chapter 6 (pgs 26-31)

1. What happens to Adeline on her first day of 1st grade in Shanghai?

2. How would you feel if you were in a situation like Adeline where everyone had forgotten about you?

3. How did Adeline remember her phone number?

4. How does Adeline’s father respond to her being lost?

Memoir: Share a story about a particularly memorable first day of school.

Chapter 7 (pgs 32-35)

1. How does Little Sister respond to Niang?

2. Why does she act like this?

3. How does Niang react?

4. What does Adeline do in reaction Niang’s behavior?

5. What do you think Niang will do to Adeline?

Memoir: Explain a particular time when you were courageous and stood up for someone or something no matter what the consequences would be for you.

Chapter 8 (pgs 36-41)

1. Why do Adeline’s parents not give her tram fare?

2. What is austerity and how do Adeline and her siblings have to subscribe to it?

3. What makes Adeline sad for her Ye Ye in this chapter?

4. How do her parents respond to their wishes for tram fare?

5. How does Adeline deal with the tram fare issue? How about her siblings?

Memoir: Share a story about the way you have been taught a lesson about the importance of respect or the value of money.

Chapter 9 (pgs 42-55)

1. What did the children receive to signify new year? What was the difference between the stepchildren and Niang’s children?

2. How else are the two sets of children treated differently?

3. What is Miss Chien’s connection to Niang? How do you know?

4. How do Adeline and her siblings choose to take a stand against their parents?

5. How does Niang respond to their stand?

6. How does Big Sister’s relationship with Miss Chien change? Why?

7. Why is Adeline’s nickname Genius?

8. What was Adeline’s “Best Friend” composition about?

9. What is Adeline’s special talent? Why do you think she’s good at this?

10. Why does she compare herself to Mulan?

11. What is Adeline’s emotional state like at the end of this chapter? What does she yearn for most?

Memoir: Share a story about a special talent you have and why you are proud of it.

Chapter 10 (pgs 56-71)

1. What is Wu Chen-mei like?

2. How do Adeline and Wu Chen-mei help each other?

3. What happened in August 1945 that changed Adeline’s life?

4. What book changed Adeline’s life? Why?

5. Why doesn’t Adeline tell her friend about her family life?

6. What was life like when Niang, father, and their other children were back in Tianjin? Explain.

7. What does third brother mean when he says that he is a “cold fish”?

8. What special award does Adeline win in this chapter?

9. How do Adeline’s brothers award her for her accomplishment?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time when you helped someone overcome something.

Chapter 11 (pgs 72-84)

1. Who is PLT?

2. How does PLT protect Adeline?

3. What happens between Jackie and Adeline?

4. How does Adeline feel about eating duck? Why?

5. What happens to PLT at the end of the chapter? Explain.

6. Explain Adeline and Third Brother’s relationship.

Memoir: Tell a story of a time when you were sad and thought you would not overcome it but then you did.

Chapter 12 (pgs 85-96)

1. What did Father and Niang set up for Big Sister that she agreed to?

2. How does Adeline feel about this? Does she want this to happen to her?

3. What did Niang keep for herself?

4. What did Father order Adeline’s three older brothers to do? How did they feel about this?

5. Compare how three older brothers were dressed and Adeline compared to Little Brother and Little Sister.

6. What did Niang end up wearing to the wedding?

7. When was the first time Big Sister was kind to Adeline? Why?

8. What did Big Sister tell Niang? How did it end?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time that you thought you were doing something good, but then it seemed to backfire on your.

Chapter 13 (pgs 97-104)

1. What does Wu Chun-mei want Adeline to do that she has never done before? Why couldn’t Adeline do this?

2. What did Adeline decide to do on her day off from school?

3. Who does Adeline run into when she goes home for lunch? Explain the situation.

4. What does Adeline tell Wu Chun-mei that hurts her when she gets home?

5. What was Adeline’s punishment?

Memoir: Tell a story about one of the first birthday parties you remember attending.

Chapter 14 (pgs 105-122)

1. What did Adeline say to Wu Chun-mei about not coming back to her birthday party?

2. When Adeline gave her speech before Election Day, what did she say?

3. What was Adeline’s shouting about to Aunt Baba?

4. What did YeYe say about her?

5. Who won the election?

6. On page 112, as Adeline spoke, what did she think?

7. What did Adeline’s classmate do to surprise her? How did Adeline feel about this?

8. How did Niang react to this surprise?

9. What did Adeline have to do with her presents?

10. What do Niang and Father say they are going to do to Adeline?

11. Who do Niang and Father blame for Adeline’s behavior?

12. What news does Adeline get on page 120?

13. Where was Adeline being sent to? What does Aunt Baba say to her on page 122?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time when you won something. Explain how you felt and how others reacted.

Chapter 15 (pgs 123-139)

1. Why did Father and Niang send Adeline to Tianjin?

2. How did Adeline know that she meant so little to her father?

3. What was unknown about Adeline?

4. Where was Adeline brought to stay after she landed in Tianjin?

5. What language did she have to speak there?

6. Why was Adeline’s plane empty? What did she find out at St. Joseph’s?

7. What class was Adeline so upset about when she was placed at her new school?

8. What was Adeline’s one wish?

9. What happened in the middle of December at her school?

10. Who were coming to Tianjin?

11. Describe Adeline’s Christmas.

12. What does Adeline ask Aunt Baba when she writes her a letter?

13. What did Niang instruct the nuns to do?

14. Who was there to puck up Adeline and take her to Hong Kong?

15. Describe Aunt Reine.

16. Where did Adeline ask to go instead of Hong Kong? Why did she ask this?

17. What does Aunt Reine not realize about Adeline’s relationship with Father and Niang?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time when you felt like you were forgotten. How did that make you feel?

Chapter 16 (pgs 140-156)

1. What did Victor do to Claudine that Adeline said that her brothers would have never done? What does this show?

2. How is Aunt Reine’s family different than Adeline’s? Explain using specific examples.

3. How do the Schilling family make Adeline feel?

4. When they first arrive and Niang and Father’s place, what happened to Adeline?

5. Who does Adeline see when she walks into the apartment? How does she feel about this?

6. What did Aunt Reine reveal from her coat buttons? Why do you think they were there? Whose were they?

7. What does YeYe tell Adeline to do before Niang’s mood changes?

8. What did Adeline realize was different about YeYe’s voice?

9. How did the Schilling children react when Adeline was not going sightseeing and shopping with them?

10. What did Adeline say that hurt YeYe? Why do you think this hurt him?

11. What is the significance of YeYe’s talk about the Chinese language?

12. What does Victor say when they are going for lunch? What does he decide to do?

13. What does Adeline give Victor at the end of the chapter?

Memoir: Tell a story about a special friendship that you have or had.

Chapter 17 (pgs 157-161)

1. Once the Schilling left for Geneva, what happened to Adeline?

2. On the first page of Chapter 17, what is ironic about what Little Sister was doing? Explain.

3. What did Adeline do that angered Little Brother?

4. Adeline saw a child outside the hotel. What did the child’s sign say?

5. Why did the waiter change his mind and see Niang so quickly?

6. Describe the difference of Niang’s feelings versus Adeline’s father’s feelings in Adeline’s mind.

7. Where does Niang bring Adeline to?

8. At the end of the chapter, what is Adeline’s good lunch?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time when you felt like you had good luck.

Chapter 18 (pgs 162-171)

1. How many years have past since the last chapter?

2. Why was Sunday Adeline’s least favorite day?

3. What was Adeline shocked about? How does Adeline feel about this?

4. What does Adeline talk to Mother Mary about? What are the others reaction?

5. How did Monica view Adeline?

6. Describe Adeline’s clothes.

7. Where did Adeline feel safe?

8. What does Adeline do for pleasure? How do the other girls/parents view her?

9. While Adeline was in the bathroom, what does she find out?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time when you felt that you were different than everyone else.

Chapter 19 (pgs 172-176)

1. What happened at the end of the school year?

2. What did Adeline yearn for “more than anything”?

Memoir: Tell a story about a close friendship that you have had.

Chapter 20 (pgs 173-182)

1. What happened to Adeline at the beginning of this chapter?

2. Who came to visit Adeline?

3. Where did the chauffer bring Adeline? How long was she staying there for?

4. What does Adeline wish she could do that her Older Brothers are doing? Why does she know this cannot happen?

5. What did the girls at school nickname Adeline? What does she think about this name?

6. What does YeYe tell Adeline?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time when someone had a dream for you.

Chapter 21 (pgs 183-193)

1. What does Adeline decide to enter? Why was she hesitant at first?

2. What was the only mail Adeline has ever received while at Sacred Heart?

3. Who did Adeline dedicate her work to?

4. What did Adeline ask in her letters to Father and Niang?

5. What did Father and Niang not let Adeline know?

6. What were the girls at school astonished to hear?

7. What happened to YeYe?

8. What did Niang tell Adeline to do once school had ended for the summer? What was Niang’s reasoning?

9. How does Adeline view herself? How do we know this in this chapter?

10. What did the other girls vote Adeline as?

11. What made Adeline depressed?

12. What did Adeline find out when she got home the second time?

13. How does the reader know that Adeline is humble?

14. What does Adeline say that she wants to study in England? How does her father react to this?

Memoir: Tell a story about the hardest competition you have been involved in.

Chapter 22 (pgs 194-197)

1. What does Aunt Baba confess in her letter?

2. What was the Chinese folklore?

3. What does Aunt Baba say about Adeline winning the international award?

4. How does the memoir end?

Memoir: Tell a story about a time someone shared a story that has comforted you.

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