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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. Mason suggests Leila tell Mah she will move into his new place in the _____________.

2. Mah believes that _______________ have changed her body and suggests she and Leon go into business together.

3. What brings Leon home tanned, relaxed, and bearing gifts for the family?

4. Mah makes no secret of the fact that she married Leon for _________________.

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Things have changed after the affair. What are Leon and Mah like after the affair with Tommie Hom?

2. Why does Leon want to have a fancy Chinese wake for Ona after her suicide, though Nina suggests a simple cremation?

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

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

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

6. What does a teacher's aide tell Leila about Leon after he walks out on Mah during a discussion about Ona's ashes?

7. What have the women done by the time the S.S. Independent docks at the shore?

8. What is the argument between Leon and Mah regarding the ashes of Ona after her death?

9. What do the sewing ladies do for Mah and the rest of the family after the death of Ona?

10. What are some of the things Leila does that makes Mason feel bothered, according to this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Leila seems to be the character who gets put into the middle of a number of situations in the story.

Part 1: Why do you think that Leila is often put into the middle of situations within this story?

Part 2: Is there another character in the story who might be a better mediator? Why or why not?

Part 3: Why is Leila resentful of being the one who has to mediate some situations?

Essay Topic 2

The suicide in this novel seems to be the one event which pulls everyone together, while at the same time driving them all apart.

Part 1: Why do you think the suicide affects Leon in the way it does?

Part 2: How do you think Leila has been changed by the suicide of Ona?

Part 3: Why do you think Ona decided to kill herself?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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