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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. What food item was a favorite of American GIs, but Andrew hated?

2. For what infraction did the policeman on the boxcar want to arrest Andrew?

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

4. Who was Andrew pretending to hide from underneath the dining room table?

5. By train, how many days did it take to travel from Mung Man to Hanoi?

Short Essay Questions

1. What argument broke out at the Pham family's memorial to their Grandfather?

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

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

4. What trouble did Andrew get into in Vietnam for drinking Coca-Cola?

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

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

7. How did the Nguyen family say goodbye to Andrew when it was time for him to return to America?

8. Why was Andrew's father arrested when he was a teenager?

9. What two images does Andrew encounter that he believes are perfect symbols for the people of Japan?

10. Why did Andrew have trouble finding a place to stay in Hanoi?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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