"ni kan," my mother said, calling me over with hurried hand gestures. "look here."

i could see why my mother was fascinated by the music. it was being pounded out by a little chinese girl, about nine years old, with a peter pan haircut. the girl had the sauciness of a shirley temple. she was proudly modest like a proper chinese child. and she also did this fancy sweep of a curtsy, so that the fluffy skirt of her white dress cascaded slowly to the floor like petals of a large carnation.

in spite of these warning signs, i wasn't worried. our family had no piano and we couldn't afford to buy one, let alone reams of sheet music and piano lessons. so i could be generous in my comments when my mother bad-mouthed the little girl on tv.

"play note right, but doesn't sound good! no singing sound," complained my mother.

"what are you picking on her for? " i said carelessly. "she's pretty good. maybe she's not the best, but she's trying hard." i knew almost immediately i would be sorry i said that.

"just like you," she said. "not the best. because you not trying." she gave a little huff as she let go of the sound dial and sat down on the sofa.

what does the dialogue between the the characters reveal about jing-mei's character?

a. she doesn't want to fail her mother again.
b. she doesn't want to learn the piano because she dislikes music.
c. she is tired of getting attention from her mother.
d. she thinks that she can be better than the girl on tv.

The lines "original! we're all as like each other as those dolls cut out of the same folded paper. we're like patterns stencilled on a wall. can't you and i strike out for ourselves, may? " reflect which of the recurring themes of 20th and 21st century american literature?

Read the lines from "she walks in beauty." the smiles that win, the tints that glow, but tell of days in goodness spent, a mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent! which of wordsworth's beliefs about poetry is illustrated in these lines by byron? a. poetry should present the ordinary in unusual ways. b. poetry should include fantastical, dreamlike settings. c. poetry should revolve around feelings and emotions. d. poetry should focus heavily on everyday situations.

Which part of the story shows how kiara and tanya's differences affect their friendship? kiara and tanya were the best of friends. when they were 10 years old, they always went everywhere together. all their friends knew that if they found one of them, they would find the other. anyone who didn't know them thought that they were twins because both kiara and tanya had long, silky red hair and pale complexions. they were even similar in height and build. they were more like sisters than friends. but as similar as they were in appearance, they were just as different when it came to their personalities. this difference didn't affect their friendship, at least not for a long time. kiara always got out and participated in activities and competitions. tanya was happiest when reading a book at home. kiara was outgoing and talkative. tanya was quiet and shy. kiara was popular, and people were drawn to her because of her ability to make quick friends. tanya hardly had any friends besides kiara. as they grew older, kiara managed to make a large group of friends. tanya, on the other hand, still remained shy and reserved. this difference in their personalities eventually caused a rift between the two friends. tanya would refuse invitations to parties and movies that kiara invited her to. she just didn't want to hang out with people she didn't know that well. kiara couldn't understand why. she thought tanya disliked her friends. eventually, kiara and tanya both realized that they had outgrown one another. they still remained friends, but they were not as close as they once had been.