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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 is Mary embarrassed of her parents?

2. What does Mary fear?

3. What field is Mei-ling studying?

4. To whom does Yuan's father owe a lot of money to?

5. What makes Yuan's teacher say that he is just like Mary?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Mary's description, is Yuan enthusiastic or idealistic?

2. Although Yuan has prejudices about the white people, why does he like his teacher's family?

3. In what ways does Yuan struggle with his pride?

4. When Yuan is on the train to visit his father, what kind of people does he notice sitting around him?

5. How is Yuan prejudiced even within his own country?

6. What evidence of social change does Yuan experience on the boat on the way back to China?

7. What is Yuan's reaction to the kiss he shares with Mary?

8. How does Yuan feel about America when he leaves it?

9. Does Yuan keep his hopes up about Mei-ling changing her mind about his proposal? Why or why not?

10. Yuan claims that the American people hide their poor because they are ashamed. Why might Yuan be considered hypocritical when he uses this argument?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does China transform while Yuan is in America? Compare the three Chinas that Yuan experiences: the China before he leaves to America, the China he tells people about in America, and the China Yuan returns to. Cite at least three examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

How does Pearl S. Buck use foreshadowing to tell the reader what might happen in the future? What are three elements of foreshadowing cited from the novel? What did these events foreshadow in the future? What effect does foreshadowing have on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

What are the benefits to the third-person omniscient point of view? What are the disadvantages to this point of view? What if another point of view were used to tell the story? How would the story change? How would it stay the same? What would be the best point of view to use if not third-person omniscient?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 966 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample