Question

witness for the dragon
1 pu yi’s yellow dragon kite dipped and soared over the red roofs of the forbidden city, his hopes rising and falling with it. in his heart he sensed that if the wind carried his kite high enough, his wish had a chance of coming true.
2 the yellow kite, a hue only he, as emperor of china, was permitted to use, ascended to greater and greater heights. but although the winds buoyed up his kite, they did not grant his wish that his father, more distant than the kite, would spend more time with him.
3 prince chun, pu yi’s stern, inscrutable father, had arrived that morning, kowtowed to his son by kneeling and touching his forehead to the ground, inquired about his studies, and left without another word. pu yi, counting to sixty twice, noted that he had not even lingered for his usual two minutes. instead, his father strode off as pu yi counted the forty - ninth second of the second minute. what good was being emperor if the title could not secure even two minutes of his father’s attention?
4 when pu yi once asked his father why he was saddled with the burden of being an emperor, his father had told him, “when your uncle, the emperor, died, you were chosen as the next ruler. you are the heir to the dragon throne.” but of course pu yi already knew this; what he ached to learn was all that his father left unsaid, that day and always.
5 now pu yi allowed the intricate yellow dragon to crash to the ground, bearing his disappointment, his anger, his frustration. there he left it to the duty of his waiting attendants to pick it up. among the many predictable features of being emperor was the constant presence of courtiers and servants, always there to grant his slightest desire.

paragraph 3 uses the word kowtow. read paragraphs 2 - 4. based on these paragraphs, what inference can you make about the meaning of the word kowtow?
○ to kowtow is to behave in a way that reveals you have great affection for someone
○ to kowtow is to take time for yourself to do something that is meaningful to you
○ to kowtow is to show respect for good weather
○ to kowtow is to act in a way that shows you believe someone has higher status than you

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of "kowtow", we analyze paragraph 3: Prince Chun (Pu Yi's father) kowtowed by "kneeling and touching his forehead to the ground" to his son (the emperor). In historical/royal contexts, such actions show respect for a higher - status person.

• The first option is incorrect as the action is about respect for status, not affection.
• The second option is wrong as kowtowing is not about personal time or meaningful actions.
• The third option is incorrect as kowtowing has nothing to do with weather.
• The fourth option fits: kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground is an action showing that the doer (Prince Chun) believes the receiver (Pu Yi, the emperor) has a higher status.

Answer:

D. to kowtow is to act in a way that shows you believe someone has higher status than you