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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. How did Andrew react when he learned that his future had also been foretold?

2. What did Andrew's brother's boyfriend tell Andrew to always travel with while in California?

3. What animal body part did Andrew consume while at a bar with his three uncles?

4. Which area of Vietnam is known as "the fish sauce capital of the world"?

5. What type of building was Andrew's childhood home turned into after his family moved out?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Andrew do on his first morning in Saigon after being reunited with his family?

2. What happened when Tyle joined Andrew at his nighttime campfire in Mexico?

3. What memory is explored in the chapter named "Fallen Leaves"?

4. Who was the first of the Phen children to die?

5. Who was Patty?

6. Why wasn't Andrew's mother worried during the family's escape by fishing boat from Vietnam?

7. What was Andrew's reaction to seeing his grandmother's old house in Phan Tiet, his childhood home?

8. After returning to California from Mexico, where did Andrew live?

9. When did Andrew's mother want Andrew to leave for his trip to Vietnam?

10. What happened when Andrew's uncles took him to their local bar?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the opening of the memoir, it becomes clear that Andrew Pham is trapped between two cultures: his Vietnamese culture and his American culture. How does this struggle affect Andrew's personal history? How does this struggle inform the overarching themes of the novel? Choose two examples from the text that you think best exhibit Andrew's struggle and describe them here. How did these instances affect Andrew's personal understanding of himself?

Essay Topic 2

When Andrew arrives in Vietnam as an adult, he is overwhelmed by the extreme expectations his Vietnamese family members have about him as a Vietnamese-American. First, describe the expectations Andrew's family has about him when he arrives in Vietnam, and explain how these expectations were shaped. Then, describe Andrew's emotional reaction to these expectations and how he dealt with the emotions during his stay in Vietnam. Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Although he did his best to support his family, Andrew's father was riddled with guilt and regrets as he aged. First, choose two behaviors / events / emotions that Andrew's father regrets and describe them here. Then, using the previous examples, explain how one person's regret can affect and shape and entire family. How was this the case within the Pham family? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

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