Welcome to “The Paper Menagerie Workbook Solution: ISC Rhapsody & Prism,” where we delve into the mesmerizing narrative from ISC English Literature’s Rhapsody & Prism. Within these pages, we unravel the essence of Ken Liu’s poignant tale “The Paper Menagerie” through meticulous workbook solutions. This post offers comprehensive answers to multiple-choice and contextual questions, deepening your understanding of this profound story. Meet Jack, the story’s conflicted protagonist, and explore the intricate layers of character development and thematic exploration. Each question serves as a gateway to dissecting the text, encouraging readers to analyze subtle nuances and extract deeper meanings. Contextual inquiries broaden our canvas for exploration, fostering critical engagement with cultural identity, familial bonds, and universal themes. Through this examination, readers sharpen their analytical skills and develop a profound appreciation for literary craftsmanship. Whether you are a student navigating ISC English Literature or an avid reader exploring heartfelt narratives, “ISC Rhapsody & Prism: The Paper Menagerie Workbook Solutions” promises a rich and enlightening experience. Join us on this literary journey as we illuminate the path to understanding, one workbook solution at a time.
Table of Contents
Story Summary :
Plot in Detail
The story begins with Jack, as a child, crying. To comfort him, his mother made him an origami tiger and breathed life into it. Later, she made more magical paper animals for Jack to play with. The narrator says that his mother’s breath was special, as she breathed life into all her origami animals. Then their is a reference to explain how his parents met and how his father picked up his mother out of a catalogue.
In his childhood, his mother would make different types of animals with paper-anything the narrator asked. Jack’s paper tiger, Laohu, would chase after them. When Jack was ten, his family moved to a new neighbourhood, where they were visited by two American women, their new neighbours, who spoke ill of their mixed race family.
One day, Mark one of the neighbourhood boys, came over to play with Star Wars action figures. When asked to bring out his toys, Jack had nothing but Laohu.
Laohu pounced on Mark and as a result, the light sabre fell and broke. Mark pushed Jack in anger, furiously shouting that “It probably cost more than what your Dad paid for your Mom!” His words shocked Jack beyond imagination. Mark began a campaign to bully Jack at school. Jack refused to speak to his mother if she spoke in Chinese. He kept prompting her to speak in English and cook American food.
Gradually, Jack stopped speaking to his mother. His father bought him a Star Wars set, from which he returned to Mark the figure he broke. He put all his origami animals into a shoebox under his bed and felt embarrassed whenever his mother tried to mime things for him. His father told him not to treat his mother like that, but he couldn’t look Jack in the eye.
When Jack was in college, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and hospitalised. Jack and his father visited the hospital, and stood on either side of her bed. She was weak and frail.
She asked Jack to take out his shoebox of paper animals once a year, on Qingming and think of her.
She then tried to tell him in her mother tongue that she loved him, her voice hoarse. Jack understood her words and awkwardly her not to talk. His mother passed away sometime when he was flying above Nevada (not even reached his destination).
Coincidently Jack was alone on Qingming when his tiger, Laohu, came alive to show him a letter written on the paper out of which Laohu was made.
On checking online, Jack realised it was Qingming. He could not read Chinese, so he asked a stranger to read the contents of his mother’s writing to him.
In the letter, his mother talked about her feelings, her anxiety to know why Jack did not speak to her, and most importantly, told him her life story.
She was born in a very poor province during the Great Famines of China. At sixteen, she received advice to leave the house before she became too old and things could get messy. That was how she ended up in the catalogue where Jack’s father found her.
The narrator had heard the story about his mother from his father when he was in high school, a time when his father was trying to convince him to speak to his mother again. In the catalogue, she said she was good at English, loved to dance and was eighteen. However, when the narrator’s father flew to Hong Kong to meet her, this information turned out to be false. The narrator was contemptuous that his mother had put herself up in a catalogue.
Despite this, his father was not angry. He hired a waitress to translate between them, and as sparks flew, he signed papers for her to join him in Connecticut. The narrator was born the next year, in the Year of the Tiger.
She then talked about the joy she felt on seeing Jack, his features similar to her own, his ability to speak her language. She saw her lost family in him and loved him incredibly. She said that she knew that he did not like his Chinese looks but when he stopped talking to her, she felt like she was losing everything all over again.
The letter ended when she asked beseechingly why he would not talk to her, and says the pain makes it hard to write. When the letter ended, Jack asked her to find the Chinese characters which spell ai-the image of his mother at the dining table with her hand over her heart flashed in his mind. He wrote the word again and again. The woman left Jack alone.
Jack finally understood his mother by reading her story that she could not tell him because he did not want to hear her talk. Jack showed that he accepted his ancestry by “Following the creases, I refolded the paper back into Laohu. I cradled him in the crook of my arm, and as he purred, we began the walk home.”
Workbook MCQs :
1. Why does Jack discard the Menagerie made by his mother?
(a) Because it was of the Chinese origin.
(b) Because he did not like his mother who was Chinese.
(c) Because he did not like the animals in the menagerie.
(d) Because a schoolmate teased Jack about his Chinese heritage.
Answer :- (d) Because a schoolmate teased Jack about his Chinese heritage.
2. The comparison between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Laohu is an example of:
(a) Symbolism
(c) Contrast
(b) Juxtaposition
(d) Hyperbole
Answer :- (b) Juxtaposition
3. According to Jack’s mother ‘ai’ Chinese for love
(a) came from her mind
(b) came from he subconscious
(c) Came from her heart
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer :- (c) Came from her heart
4. Dad put down his chopsticks.’ This implies that
(a) Chinese food was cooked at their home
(b) he wanted to pay attention to what his son wanted to say
(c) he did not know how to use the chopsticks
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer :- (d) Both (a) and (b)
5. According to Jack, he spent his time after the incident with Mark by
(a) learning Chinese
(b) learning origami
(c) studying English
(d) studying French
Answer :- (d) studying French
6. Jack’s father buys Jack Star Wars action figures set because
(a) he wanted Jack to be more American.
(b) he wanted to hurt at his wife.
(c) Jack wanted the set.
(d) All of the above.
Answer :- (c) Jack wanted the set.
7. Laohu coming to life brought which of the following changes in Jack?
(a) As a child he stopped sobbing
(b) As an adult he sought his mother
(c) As a child he crumpled and threw it
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer :- (d) Both (a) and (b)
8. Who fell in the soy-sauce?
(a) Water-buffalo
(b) Shark
(c) Tiger
(d) Deer
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
9. How did Jack’s mother’s animals come to life?
(a) She had magic to give life to them
(b) She breathed life into them
(c) Her fingers had magic to bring them to life
(d) Both (a) and (c)
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
10. On Qingming Jack’s mother did which of the following?
(a) Wrote letters to her parents
(b) Make origami cranes
(c) Blew them in the direction of her parents
(d) All of the above
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
11. When Jack’s father realised his bride did not know English, he
(a) hired a waitress to translate.
(b) got angry and sued the agency.
(c) went back to Connecticut.
(d) married Jack’s mother without asking her consent.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
12. When Mark came over to play with Jack, he brought
(a) Paper Menagerie
(b) Origami paper
(c) Star Wars action figures
(d) Monopoly
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
13. When Jack stopped talking to his mother, she felt
(a) as if she were losing everything all over again.
(b) relieved that she would not have to learn English.
(c) angry that her son was shunning her.
(d) as if she were losing her roots.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
14. Who was the most understanding and favourable character in the story, The Paper Menagerie?
(a) Jack
(b) Jack’s father
(c) Mark
(d) Jack’s mother
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
15. What did Jack demand from his mother?
(a) A Star Wars action set.
(b) That his mother acts as an American mother not Chinese.
(c) That she should not have registered herself in one catalogue.
(d) That she should talk to the neighbours.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
16. At the end of the story, Jack finally
(a) understood his mother.
(b) felt sorry.
(c) played with the paper animals his mother made for him.
(d) None of the above.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
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Complete The Sentences :
1. Jack’s father says he’ll get his mother a cookbook because she would have to learn to cook American food instead of Chinese to please Jack.
2. Jack’s mother stopped making paper animals when Jack was in high school because Jack was no longer interested in them.
3. Jack’s mother refused to visit the doctor for her pain because she believed it was no big deal probably after what she had undergone.
4. Jack’s mother wanted to speak to Jack alone because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
5. Jack boxed his paper menagerie because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
6. Jack was a loved child because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
7. Jack’s mother read the letter to her dead parents at Qingming because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
Short Question Answers :
1. Jack narrates the story of his parents’ meeting. How does he feel about his mother? Why?
Answer :- In “The Paper Menagerie,” Jack has complex feelings about his mother, rooted in his experiences of cultural identity and acceptance. Initially, he views his mother with a mixture of affection and embarrassment. Jack’s mother, who is Chinese, has a unique ability to bring paper animals to life, which fascinates him as a child. This magical ability symbolizes the deep cultural and emotional bond they share. However, as Jack grows older and becomes more aware of societal pressures and prejudice, he starts feeling ashamed of his Chinese heritage and, by extension, his mother. He feels the need to fit in with his American peers and distances himself from his mother, rejecting her language and cultural practices. This internal conflict illustrates Jack’s struggle with his bicultural identity and the painful choices he makes to assimilate, leading to regret and a poignant realization of the depth of his mother’s love and sacrifices.
2. Was Jack’s childhood happy? Comment.
Answer :- Jack’s childhood in “The Paper Menagerie” is marked by a dichotomy of joy and eventual conflict. As a young child, Jack experiences a magical and loving environment created by his mother, who enchants him with her paper animals that come to life. This unique magic fosters a deep sense of wonder and a strong emotional bond between Jack and his mother. His early years are filled with a sense of cultural richness and security. However, as he grows older and becomes more aware of cultural differences, Jack faces external societal pressures that lead him to feel ashamed of his heritage. The increasing desire to fit in with his peers and the rejection of his mother’s traditions and language introduce a significant emotional conflict, overshadowing his earlier happiness. Thus, while Jack’s early childhood is filled with love and magic, the latter part is marked by internal and external struggles with his identity.
3. What is magical realism? How is it used in Ken Liu’s story?
Answer :- Magical realism is a literary genre where magical elements are blended into a realistic narrative, creating an acceptance of the magical within the ordinary world. In “The Paper Menagerie,” Ken Liu employs magical realism to explore themes of cultural identity and the bond between mother and son. The story is set in a realistic world where Jack’s mother has the ability to animate paper animals, bringing them to life in a way that is accepted by the characters as a natural part of their lives. This magical element symbolizes the cultural heritage and love that Jack’s mother imparts to him. The paper animals represent the bridge between Jack’s Chinese heritage and his American upbringing, illustrating the emotional and cultural connections that transcend the mundane. The use of magical realism enhances the narrative by emphasizing the importance of embracing one’s cultural roots and the profound impact of familial love.
4. Compare and contrast Obi-Wan Kenobi and Laohu.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
5. Jack’s mother makes a moving distinction between ‘ai’ and love. Give a character sketch of his mother based on this.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
6. Compare and contrast Jack’s parents’ response to their respective cultures.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
Long Question Answers :
1. Describe the shock that Jack felt on being singled out as different and made fun of? Give an example, real or fictional, of how bi-racial children are treated in any country.
Answer :- In “The Paper Menagerie,” Jack experiences a profound sense of shock and alienation when he is singled out for being different by his peers. As a child, he initially feels secure and loved within the cultural warmth provided by his mother. However, his classmates’ mockery and cruel remarks about his Chinese heritage shatter this sense of belonging. The ridicule he faces for his mother’s accent and for eating traditional Chinese food makes him acutely aware of his difference, leading to a painful realization that his cultural identity is a target for prejudice. Jack’s struggle to fit in at school highlights the harsh reality of cultural exclusion and the emotional toll it takes on biracial individuals.
A real-world example of similar experiences can be found in the United States, where biracial children often face identity challenges and societal prejudices. For instance, children of African American and Caucasian descent may be subjected to stereotyping and discrimination from both communities, leaving them feeling marginalized and pressured to choose one identity over the other. This mirrors Jack’s struggle in the story, where he feels compelled to reject his Chinese heritage in favor of assimilating into American culture to avoid further ostracism.
2. Give instances from the story to show Jack was loved by both his parents but his mother loved him more.
Answer :- In “The Paper Menagerie,” Jack receives love and care from both his parents, but the depth of his mother’s love is particularly poignant and intense. His father, although supportive, is more reserved and practical in his expressions of affection. He provides for the family and respects Jack’s individuality, but his emotional connection with Jack is not as vividly portrayed as his mother’s.
Jack’s mother, on the other hand, goes to great lengths to shower him with love and preserve their cultural heritage. Her ability to create magical, lifelike paper animals for Jack symbolizes her deep affection and the cultural bond she wishes to share with him. These paper animals are not just toys but representations of her love and heritage, imbued with a life that captivates Jack and connects him to his roots. The scene where she carefully crafts the paper tiger, Laohu, and brings it to life, illustrates the magical and nurturing environment she creates for Jack.
Even when Jack begins to distance himself from his heritage to fit in with his peers, his mother’s love remains steadfast. Despite the pain of his rejection, she continues to care for him, embodying a selfless love that transcends the hurt caused by his actions. Her letters, discovered later in life, further reveal the extent of her emotional investment and the sacrifices she made out of love for Jack.
3. How does the story show the influence of a person’s environment on the person’s actions as well as his/her perceptions?
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
4. How is the story a tragedy of racism?
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
5. Describe Jack’s interaction with Mark. How does it mark the crisis in the story?
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
6. What role does translation play in the story? Discuss.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
7. How does Susan bring about a change in Jack? What is the result of this change?
Answer :-[ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
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