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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How much money does the American woman give to Wang Lung for transporting her in Chapter 11?

2. How much money does Wang Lung take home after his first day of working in the city in Chapter 11?

3. How long has it been since the death of Wang Lung's mother in the beginning of Chapter 1?

4. Where does the American woman ask Wang Lung to transport her in Chapter 11?

5. Who assists O-lan in childbirth in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What leads to Wang Lung purchasing more land from the House of Hwang in Chapter 8?

2. What event leads to Wang Lung's decision that he must take his family back to the land in Chapter 12?

3. How does Wang Lung's uncle respond when Wang Lung yells at him in Chapter 7?

4. What do Wang Lung and his family witness as they pass the House of Hwang in Chapter 10?

5. How does Wang Lung perceive his wedding day when he awakens in Chapter 1?

6. How has Wang Lung's fate changed in Chapter 8? How does he respond to this change of fate?

7. What activities take place as the New Year celebration approaches in Chapter 5?

8. How does Wang Lung respond when he discovers O-lan's jewels in Chapter 16?

9. How does O-lan describe the fall of the House of Hwang in Chapter 5?

10. Where do Wang Lung and O-lan go on the second day of the New Year in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the Great House of Hwang in The Good Earth. Where is the house located? How is its architecture described? Where do the Old Master and Old Mistress live? Why does Wang Lung visit and revisit the House of Hwang in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of the “poor fool” in The Good Earth. What has caused this character’s mental disabilities? How does Wang Lung feel about this character and what is their relationship like? How is this character perceived by O-lan?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the impacts of The Good Earth’s publication. How did Americans reading the novel in the late 1930s perceive it? How did the novel change perceptions about the Chinese? How has reading the novel changed your own perceptions?

(see the answer keys)

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