View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Office Hours," how long would Marie and the professor talk during her junior year?

2. Who helps dig the people up from the Morning Ceremony in "Returning"?

3. In Peking Duck, where does the narrator often go to learn English?

4. What does the professor tell Marie shortly before he dies in "Office Hours"?

5. What work do both the narrator and her husband do in "Returning"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the narrator's story, Two Weeks, about in "Returning"?

2. What does Peter tell the narrator he believes in when they get engaged in "Returning"?

3. In "Returning," what does the narrator realize when she wakes up on the plane?

4. How does the narrator eventually get out of the airport in "Returning"?

5. What does Marie specialize in in "Office Hours"?

6. What does the older professor let Marie do in "Office Hours" in his office?

7. Why does the narrator realize she cannot leave the airport in "Returning"?

8. What is one student's criticism of the narrator's story about the nanny in "Peking Duck"?

9. What is the narrator's reaction to Peter's gifting her the engagement ring in "Returning"?

10. What does the narrator act like when she is first married to Peter in "Returning"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What tensions and biases due to racial/ethnic background do both the narrator and her mother in "Peking Duck" experience, and how does Ma represent these biases? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What are some examples of the ways Ma employs magical realism throughout this collection? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Through which stories and characters does Ma choose to explore the trauma of women who have experienced domestic abuse? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 574 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample