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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. What is the bad news that Yuan receives about his hometown?

2. How old is Mei-ling when Yuan returns to China from America?

3. Why is Yuan thankful to Mary?

4. Who suggests that Yuan take his class outdoors?

5. What field is Mei-ling studying?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Yuan thankful to Mary for as he leaves America?

2. Why does Yuan accept Meng's proposal to come work in the new capital city?

3. What does Yuan learn about his father's financial situation when he visits?

4. When Yuan finds a letter from Mary in his room, what does it say?

5. Does Yuan want to have a romantic relationship with Mary?

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

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

8. Why does Mary's father claim that Yuan and Mary are alike?

9. What does Wu do when a beggar reaches for a handout from him?

10. Why does Yuan grow to like Mei-ling?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Yuan is often caught between two extremes and has trouble choosing one wholeheartedly. Give three pairs of extremes that Yuan must choose between. What does he finally choose? Why? What causes Yuan from picking one extreme over another?

Essay Topic 2

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 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 862 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample