The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Story 1: “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species”

Reading Check

1. What material is a Quatzoli made of?

Short Answer

2. Why did the Quatzoli delegation leave the mind of their ancestor in possession of the Caru’ee?

Paired Resource

“The History of Bookbinding”

• A brief overview of the way human bookmaking practices have evolved over time, presented mainly in two 4-5 minute videos
• What do the advances of bookbinding suggest about Storytelling as a Universal Constant?

Story 2: “State Change”

Reading Check

3. What form did Joan of Arc’s soul take?

Short Answer

4. What does the title “State Change” refer to?

Story 3: “The Perfect Match”

Reading Check

5. At the story’s close, what song does Sai ask to wake up to the next morning?

Short Answer

6. What impact did Centillion have on racial segregation?

Paired Resource

“Dating in the Age of AI: Would You Let an Algorithm Choose Your Partner?”

• This 2021 article explores the pros and cons of trusting an AI algorithm with one’s love life.
• What trajectory might the use of AI in matchmaking apps take in the future?

Story 4: “Good Hunting”

Reading Check

7. What is the name of Liang’s father’s sword?

Short Answer

8. Why does Yan let the Governor’s son continue transforming her body?

Story 5: The Literomancer”

Reading Check

9. What is the first word Mr. Kan uses to show Lilly his magic?

Short Answer

10. What is a literomancer?

Story 6: “Simulacrum”

Reading Check

11. Whom does the oldest surviving simulacrum depict?

Short Answer

12. What was Paul and Erin’s extramarital arrangement?

Story 7: “The Regular”

Reading Check

13. What soap opera did the killer copy his note from?

14. How often does Ruth have to turn her regulator off?

Short Answer

15. Why does the Watcher wear a bandage around his finger?

Story 8: “The Paper Menagerie”

Reading Check

16. What toys did Jack’s father buy him?

Short Answer

17. Why does Jack want his mother to be more American?

Story 9: “An Advanced Readers’ Picture Book of Comparative Cognition”

Reading Check

18. What does “Theobromine” mean?

Short Answer

19. Why does the mother say she’s grateful to her parents?

Story 10: “The Waves”

Reading Check

20. How old is Bobby when he stops aging?

Short Answer

21. Why does Earth express renewed interest in the crew of Sea Foam?

Story 11: “Mono no aware”

Reading Check

22. What is Mindy’s native language?

Short Answer

23. Why does Dr. Hamilton take Hiroto into space?

Story 12: “All the Flavors”

Reading Check

24. What nickname does Lily’s father call her by?

25. What does the name “Chang Sheng” mean?

Short Answer

26. Why are Jack and Lily horrified at being fed a dish made with dog meat?

27. Why is Elsie angry that the Chinese men are doing laundry?

Paired Resource

“How Guan Yu Became China’s God of War, Wealth, and Everything Else”

• An overview of the history, mythology, and cultural preeminence of the Chinese God of War
• How have American attitudes toward Eastern myths and legends changed since the setting of “All the Flavors”?

Story 13: “A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel”

Reading Check

28. What do the characters in Charlie’s Japanese name mean?

Short Answer

29. What is Betty’s son trying to accomplish with his friends?

Paired Resource

“Stanford Project Gives Voice to Chinese Workers Who Helped Build the Transcontinental Railroad”

• Overview of the Chinese railroad workers who largely built the railroad that spans the United States, and why their contribution has been sidelined by history
• Although the events of Liu’s fictional history are horrific, they parallel very real events. Why do you think Liu chose to create an alternate history to explore this topic?

Story 14: “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King”

Reading Check

30. Who said that “neighbors should not sue neighbors”?

Short Answer

31. Why does the Emperor see Xu’s poem as traitorous?

Story 15: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary”

Reading Check

32. How does Dr. Wei eventually die?

Short Answer

33. Why didn’t Dr. Wei want to involve the Chinese government in his work?

Recommended Next Reads

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

• In the first book of Liu’s epic fantasy series Dandelion Dynasty, two unlikely friends overthrow an emperor but then disagree about what kind of world should follow.
• Incorporates similar themes of The Essence of Memory and Erasure of the Past, Asian history, myths, and legends

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

• A collection of short stories that explores similar themes of diaspora, The Immigrant Experience in America, identity, and heritage
• The Refugees on SuperSummary