Front Desk Practice Questions

Which smell made Mia get a burger at Houston Space Center? Bacon, p. 1

Which two motels were next door? Topaz Inn and Lagoon Motel, p. 8

What was Mr. Yao’s rule #3? Do not use the pool, kid. P. 13

Which school was 5 blocks from the motel? Dale Elementary, p. 17

Which words did Mia add after her name, to the sign at the front desk? Manager, p. 21

Why did Mr. Stein and Mrs. Clifton get refunds on the same day? Mia mixed up their wake-up calls, p. 24

What made an awful grinding noise 24/7? The washer and dryer, p. 29.

Where did Mia find the words “Helpful Staff”? On a customer feedback card, p. 37

How did the weeklies help out with the washing machine crisis? Used one towel per day until the new washer came, p. 46

What were Uncle Ming and Mia’s dad talking about after Uncle arrived? Sharks, p. 49.

How did Uncle Ming try to pay for the radiator repair on his car? With coupons, p. 53.

Who helped Mia when a drunk person was harassing her? Hank, p. 59

Who tells Mia the security camera is a good idea? Mr. Yao’s son OR Jason, p. 61

Which piece does Mia play on the piano in the empty auditorium? Fur Elise, p. 64

Who owns the old blue station wagon? Billy Bob, p. 69

What does it say on the sticker attached to the station wagon? “Don’t touch. Alarm system installed.” p. 69

What did Mia and her dad trade the $10 from soda cans for? Pennies, p. 75

What does Lupe admit she doesn’t have? 3 dogs and a big house, p. 79

What are the two roller coasters Lupe’s dad says exist in America? One for the rich; one for the poor, p. 81

Where is the motel that the couple wants to give a way via an essay contest? In Vermont, p. 86

What nationality does Jason tell Mrs. Douglas he is? Taiwanese p. 87

Who does Mia think is the perfect American mom? Marge OR the Mom on the Simpsons cartoon p. 90

Who tells Mia’s dad “Stop sleeping” after a car is stolen from the motel lot at 3 am? Mr. Yao, p. 95

What type of car had been stolen? A Ford Thunderbird, p. 94

What kind of flowers does Jason give Mia? Dandelions, p. 101

What is noticeable about the face of the Topaz Security Guard? His yellow teeth, p. 107

In China, what did the song say to do when you find a penny? Give it to Uncle Policeman, p. 110

Who does Mia’s mom’s nails? Aunt Ling, p. 114

What was Lupe obsessed with drawing? Trees, p, 117

Why does Mia struggle with verb tenses in her story? There are no tenses in the Chinese language, p. 122

Which book does Mrs. T lend Mia? A dictionary-thesaurus, p. 126

Where did Mia get her thin floral pants? From Goodwill, p. 130

Who does Mr. Yao plan to evict? Hank, p. 134

What does Mia do with her tip jar when Mr. Yao yells at Hank? Hides it in her room, p. 133

How does Mr. Yao punish Mia’s parents for letting Hank stay? He deduct Hank’s rent from their pay, p. 138

What was the prize for winning the math challenge in Mia’s class? A lollipop, p. 142

How does Mia’s mom respond when she tells about the math challenge? “How can you get a math problem wrong?” p. 144

What does Mrs. Q suggest for fixing a cracked bowl? Put tape around it. P. 147

What had caused Uncle Fung to be slapped by a woman customer? He greeted her with “Hey Baby”, p. 150

What is hiding under Mia’s mattress? $100 p. 159

What evidence does Jason give that the pencil cannot belong to Mia? She can’t afford something this nice, p. 166

What is the name of Jason’s dog? Wealthy, p. 173

Why are the hospital fees cancelled for Mia’s mom? Their income is so low, p. 179

Who wrote Hank a reference letter? Mia, p. 191

How did Mia get a pair of jeans? A girl left them behind after staying at the motel, p, 194

What happened to Uncle Zhang’s passport? His boss took it to “keep it safe” but it meant the workers could not quit or leave the restaurant even though they were mistreated, p. 200

Who does Mia claim to be in the letter on behalf of Uncle Zhang? A lawyer, p. 205

What do Mia and Lupe find out about the missing Ford Thunderbird? The owner faked the theft to get insurance money, p. 207

Which business started a list of bad customers? Topaz Inn, p. 213

Why does Mia need $300? To enter the motel’s essay contest, p. 223

How did she get the money? Selling the lucky pennies her dad and her collected, p. 246

What does Jason call Ms. Morgan, the substitute teacher? Ms. Mousy, p. 228

How did Mr. Yao suspect that Mia’s family was hiding Chinese immigrants in the motel? A rumour, p. 229

What is the girl’s name who had left the jeans behind and then claimed them back? Polly p. 233

Where did the NY Yankees baseball cap originally come from? It had belonged to the manager before Mia’s family came to run the motel, p. 242

What does Mia’s teacher give her after she reads her essay out loud to the class? Coupons for free Pizza Hut pizza, p. 251

What does Mia do with her cousin Shen’s letter? Puts it in the back of her closet, p. 259

When Mia’s mom asked her sister back in China for help, how does she respond? She says no, p. 268

Who does Mia approach as investors to buy Mr. Yao’s motel? The people who live in the motel and those who entered the Vermont essay contest. P. 275

How does Mr. Yao respond when Mia’s family offers $300, 000 for the motel? He says he has another buyer who will pay $50,000 more, p. 277

How does Mia’s dad propose getting the last $50,000? Borrow it, p. 279

What do the shady lenders want in return? Passports and ID, p. 279

What startling news does Jason tell Mia on the last day of school? There is no other buyer, p. 282

What took up three pages of the sales agreement? The names of all the owners, p. 284