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

2. Who was the first to know that Andrew's brother, Huy, was gay?

3. How did Andrew feel about visiting the tourist area of Hanoi?

4. Who told Andrew that Vietnam's national heroine was a prostitute named Kieu?

5. How did Andrew help the woman who had fainted on the road in Hue?

Short Essay Questions

1. What moral did Andrew reach while swimming in the sea with a laughing, old woman?

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

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

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

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

6. When was Andrew first introduced to adult sexuality?

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

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

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

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

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

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 3

Throughout the memoir, Andrew utilized almost every different mode of travel available. First, create a list of transportation methods Andrew used during his journey. Then, choose two modes of transportation and compare / contrast the experience of these travels, particularly when considering Andrew's historic quest for answers. In your opinion, what mode of transportation was most beneficial for Andrew, given his unique travel desires? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

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