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. When the recess bell rings and Leila can have a few moments to herself, where does she go?

2. After a few good years, Lyman is gone from Mah's life and she calls him ____________ about America.

3. Nina complains that ____________ is not doing her share of the work at the laundry business.

4. Who wants to have a fancy Chinese wake in order to commemorate the life of Ona in the neighborhood?

5. When the S.S. Independent docks, ____________ has cleaned the house, helped sew a dozen culottes, and heated lunch.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mah believe that Lyman will make good on his promise and send for her?

2. Why don't the sewing women play music when they are working in the sweatshop together?

3. To what does Leila compare the feeling of time rushing forward and then snapping still?

4. What does Mah want to do in order to prepare herself for the homecoming of Leon?

5. Why do the women at the factory work night and day, pushing themselves to sew?

6. Why did Mah and Leon get married in the first place, according to the both of them?

7. What has Leila prepared for the afternoon art class in the classroom where she is teaching?

8. What is the advice that Soon-ping, a sewing lady, gives to Mah after the death of Ona?

9. After Mah finds a new job at Ching's, Leon goes away to a trip on the sea to Australia. What happens to Mah's job when he is away?

10. Leila wonders why Mason does not introduce her to his family. What is the reason?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The language barrier in the story is one of the significant roadblocks to some of the characters being able to participate in some processes of their life.

Part 1: Why do you think certain characters don't make more of an effort to learn English?

Part 2: Do you think it's fair to expect those from another culture to adapt to their new home's language? Why or why not?

Part 3: In what ways does the lack of language skill cause certain characters to suffer? How does knowing English help some characters thrive?

Essay Topic 2

As with any story and the reading of any story, one must ask whether they can trust the narrator to tell them the truth and to help them understand the characters.

Part 1: Why is Leila the best choice to be the narrator of this story?

Part 2: Do you think the readers can trust Leila to tell the story fairly and in an unbiased way?

Part 3: How might the story have changed if it was told from the viewpoint of Mah?

Essay Topic 3

A dying man's wish was not fulfilled as asked, which seems to be a reason for the family's bad luck.

Part 1: Why do you think it was important for the wishes of the grandfather to be fulfilled?

Part 2: Would you have handled the dying wish in a different way than the book characters did? Why or why not?

Part 3: Do you think the bones are to blame for the woes of those in the book? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 743 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample