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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. Why does the group congregate outside the courthouse after Lin and Shuyu's divorce hearing?

2. Why does Lin's brother need to borrow money?

3. What is Lin's favorite part of visiting home?

4. What reason does Lin give Shuyu for wanting a divorce?

5. At the restaurant, what is Geng Yang's advice for Lin to encourage his wife to consent to a divorce?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the relationship Manna Wu invents between Lin Kong and Pinging Ma? Why does Manna think Pingping is more appealing to Lin than she is?

2. How does Lin share Manna's feelings about Geng Yang?

3. Why is Manna hesitant to become engaged to Mai Dong before her graduation? What is their deciding factor in holding off their engagement?

4. Why is Manna more embarrassed than heartbroken at Commissar Wei's rejection?

5. What makes Lin hesitate to divorce his wife?

6. Why is Lin ashamed that he asks Manna to share the cost of the bribe?

7. Why doesn't Geng Yang cry during "The Flower Girl?" What conclusion does Manna draw about him?

8. What does Lin's daydream about the nurses say about him?

9. How is Lin painted to be at fault through Chapter 9?

10. Why is Lin's response to "Leaves of Grass" peculiar to his usual tendencies towards literature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pick one of the following positions to argue in an essay:

- Manna is the appropriate wife for Lin.

- Shuyu is the appropriate wife for Lin.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the relevance of women versus men in "Waiting." Argue the statement Ha Jin is making about gender, using the following ideas:

- Emotional tendencies of men or women in relationships.

- Self awareness, idealism, control, impressionability, vulnerability.

- Selfishness and selflessness.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Ha Jin's use of youth, age, and death. How do they define characters in the eyes of others? What affect does it have on narrative, imagery, and relationships of "Waiting?"

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