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. How did Chi kill herself?

2. Why was Grandmother Pham upset on the way to the memorial of her husband's death?

3. What was the newspaper article Andrew's father saved for over a decade about?

4. How old was Andrew in his memories of playing with a toy gun under the dining room table?

5. What was the number one topic of conversation at Grandpa Pham's memorial?

Short Essay Questions

1. What regrets did Andrew's father carry with him throughout his adult life?

2. What opinion did the American Vietnam War vet, whom Andrew met in a coffee shop, have about the War?

3. What type of relationship did Trieu have with her birth father, the colonel?

4. Whose mummified remains are kept in the mausoleum in Hanoi?

5. Why wasn't Andrew allowed to board the commuter train from Muong Man?

6. What happened when the police stopped Andrew on the cargo train to Hanoi?

7. Which of Andrew's siblings were gay, and how did his family react to this?

8. What interaction did Andrew have with the one-legged cyclist in Ky An?

9. What aspect of her life brought Chi the greatest amount of stress and sadness?

10. What did Andrew and Chi talk about during their last conversation, before Chi killed herself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the memoir, Andrew offers many different symbols to bring meaning to the people of Vietnam and their experiences, including the famous ruins and the gape fish. Choose one of these symbols - or another that you deem fit - and explain the symbol here. Where did Andrew first encounter this symbol? What understanding did Andrew believe the message brought to him about the Vietnamese people? Do you agree with Andrew's assessment? Why or why not? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

All of Andrew's siblings live/d lives that involve some level of sexual deviance. What events from their upbringing do you think psychologically prompted these behaviors. Had the Pham children grown up in a more stable household, do you think the children's lives would be different as adults? If so, how? If not, why? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the memoir, it becomes clear that appearances are very important. First, describe how appearances are important in America, and compare / contrast that to how appearances are important in Vietnam. Then, choose one person from the memoir whom you think was most affected by societies expectations for appearance, and explain how those expectations affected the person's life. Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 997 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample