Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What does Mira’s grandmother attempt to give her when she is five years old?

A) Makeup

B) A beauty magazine

C) Skin lightening cream

D) Tanning lotion

2. Why does Z originally begin asking questions about his race?

A) He becomes interested in genetics.

B) His grandparents disapprove of his white friend.

C) He doesn’t understand why he looks different from his father.

D) 'He becomes obsessed with Michael Jackson.

3. Who are the winners of the two presidential elections featured in Mira’s memoir?

A) Obama and Trump

B) Trump and Biden

C) Bush, Jr. and Obama

D) Clinton and Bush, Jr.

4. What is the epiphany that Mira and her father share?

A) Race is not a reason to judge someone.

B) Life is short.

C) Mira’s father will never know her children.

D) Mira should marry whomever she chooses.

5. What does the night sky used repeatedly throughout the memoir symbolize?

A) Eternity

B) Love

C) Mystery

D) Unity

6. Which is the best word to describe Mira’s son, Z?

A) Quiet

B) Curious

C) Adventurous

D) Energetic

7. How does Jed’s mother react to hearing that two of her party guests were racist toward Mira?

A) She feels bad at first but shrugs it off soon.

B) She denies everything and stops speaking to Mira.

C) She denies it at first but soon admits it and feels guilty.

D) She confronts the party guests.

8. What is the primary motivation for Mira writing her memoir?

A) To become a famous writer

B) To teach people about her experiences

C) To combat racism in America

D) To be able to provide answers to her son’s questions

9. How does Mira feel about arranged marriage?

A) She thinks it is not for her.

B) She is totally opposed to it.

C) She longs to be in an arranged marriage.

D) She is indifferent toward arranged marriage.

10. Who reminds Mira that she is an American?

A) Her mother

B) Jed

C) Z

D) Ms. Morrell

11. How do Americans’ views of brown people change after 9/11?

A) They become more hateful and suspicious.

B) They become more curious and inquisitive.

C) They become less hateful and suspicious.

D) They become less curious and inquisitive.

12. Why do many white people deny the existence of racism in America?

A) They are not educated on the matter.

B) It is more comforting to believe it does not exist anymore.

C) News and other media perpetuate the idea.

D) They dislike people of color.

13. Why does Z ask if his dad is afraid of him?

A) He is wearing a scary costume.

B) He thinks he is a superhero.

C) He and his dad got into a fight.

D) He worries his dad is afraid of people of color.

14. How does Mira identify her race?

A) South Asian

B) East Indian

C) Asian

D) Asiatic Asian

15. What important compliment does Mira’s mother give her when she is older?

A) She helps make America great.

B) She inspires people with her writing.

C) She is a wonderful mother.

D) She is a strong and brave woman.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Mira’s memoir includes three major conflicts: self vs. self, self vs. other, and self vs. the world. What are the sources of each of these conflicts for Mira?

2. How do Obama’s election and Trump’s election differ in their effects on the American people and Mira’s family?