The Magic Fish

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

Multiple Choice

1. What word might best describe how Hiền feels at the beginning of the novel?

A) Anchored

B) In-Between

C) Fulfilled

D) Safe

2. How does learning about the death of Matthew Shepard affect Tiền?

A) Because Tiền is gay, he becomes more concerned that his parents won’t accept him.

B) Because Tiền is a refugee, he fears other students will bully him.

C) Because Tiền is gay, he decides to come out to his parents at the next opportunity.

D) Because Tiền is a refugee, he feels like tragedy appears anywhere.

3. What do Claire and Hiền have in common?

A) They both worry that Tiền is growing apart from his parents.

B) They both think that Tiền focuses too much on fairytales.

C) They both are excited that Tiền has his first crush.

D) They both want to ensure that Tiền doesn’t miss out on anything.

4. Several times throughout The Magic Fish, Tiền almost comes out to his parents when they express their affection for one another. What might this reveal about Tiền as a character?

A) He hopes their good mood will encourage them to be accepting of him.

B) He is embarrassed by their displays of affection and wants to interrupt them.

C) He wants to have a relationship like them.

D) He doesn’t know much about their relationship history.

5. What makes Hiền wonder if being an American citizen worth it?

A) Her relationship with Vinh has deteriorated since leaving Vietnam.

B) Coming to the United States separated her from her mother for eight years.

C) She is treated terribly by her coworkers.

D) Tiền feels disconnected from his heritage.

6. Why does Hiền’s aunt compare Hiền to Cinderella?

A) Hiền has been able to make a life out of nothing.

B) Hiền has always looked up to Cinderella.

C) Hiền lost her mother when she was young.

D) Hiền fell in love in a fairytale story.

7. Why might Hiền’s aunt have changed the story so that Tấm gets a happy ending?

A) She wants Hiền to understand that traditions aren’t worth keeping.

B) She wants Hiền to recognize that her American citizenship is a privilege.

C) She wants Hiền to feel like she will get a happy ending.

D) She wants Hiền to know that death isn’t the end.

8. Why does Trung Le Nguyen differentiate the story he tells in The Magic Fish from typical immigration stories?

A) He sees most immigration stories as only focused on the moment of arrival; he wants to ensure that his stories tell about why immigrants and refugees leave.

B) He sees most immigration stories as beginning with departure and ending with arrival; he wants to tell a story that begins with arrival and ends with departure.

C) He sees most immigration stories as two-dimensional and filled with praise for the United States; he wants to tell a story that criticizes the United States and its norms.

D) He sees most immigration stories as beginning with departure and ending with arrival; he wants to discuss the long-term effects of moving to a new country.

9. In the Author’s Note, Nguyen explains that he “wanted to explore how stories can serve both as an escape and an anchor for us in our real lives” (230). How do stories anchor Tiền and Hiền?

A) Stories help Tiền and Hiền to feel connected to one another and their heritage, as Hiền sees them both as a way to practice English with Tiền and to think of her family back in Vietnam.

B) Stories help Tiền and Hiền to communicate with one another, as when Hiền reads Tiền stories in Vietnamese.

C) Stories help Tiền and Hiền to share their culture with their friends, as Tiền does with Claire and Julian.

D) Stories help Tiền and Hiền remember that they will always be connected, as when Hiền reveals that she named Tiền for a character in a story.

10. How does the little mermaid’s story compare with Hiền’s?

A) Hiền feels like she doesn’t have a voice and isn’t able to communicate with Tiền’s teachers or friends.

B) Hiền feels caught out at sea at the beginning of the novel, but by its end, she feels more grounded on land.

C) Hiền feels like every step she takes away from the ocean hurts and that she just wants to cross the ocean back to Vietnam.

D) Hiền feels like she thought she was in love with Vinh but is actually in love with someone else.

11. Which of the following best describes the role of family and friends in this novel?

A) Tiền and Hiền both feel alienated from their family, especially after Hiền’s mother dies.

B)  Tiền’s friend and Hiền’s aunt remind Tiền and Hiền that they are loved and help them to feel like themselves.

C) Tiền’s friends make him feel distant from his family; Hiền’s relatives make her feel empowered.

D) Tiền and Hiền’s family have kept Tiền, Hiền, and Vinh at a distance now that they live in America.

12. Why does Tiền feel in-between worlds?

A) The longer that Tiền feels like he is keeping the fact that he is gay a secret from his parents, the further he feels from them.

B) Like Hiền, Tiền longs to return to Vietnam.

C) Tiền feels he does not belong with his parents and wishes that his grandmother raised him.

D) Tiền feels caught between who his friends want him to be and who his parents want him to be.

Long Answer

1. How does Nguyen use visual elements to advance the story outside of text content (found in speech bubbles)?

2. Why is it important that “[d]etails change. Things change,” as Hiền’s aunt said?

3. Why might Tiền feel like the little mermaid? In your answer, point out at least two similarities and explain them.