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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. In what year did Ho Chi Minh die?

2. When Andrew was escaping Vietnam as a child, for what was the young woman he met on the street searching the sky?

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

4. What name did Chi use during her years on the street?

5. What did Andrew's father consider to be his greatest regret in life?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Chi's life change during her fourteen years on the streets?

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

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

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

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

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

7. When was Andrew first introduced to adult sexuality?

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

9. What memories does Andrew have about the way his family made money in Vietnam?

10. Why did Chi make the decision to move to San Francisco?

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

In the prologue of the novel, the reader learns that Andrew's sister has died. First, describe the nature of the sister's death and explain how this death affected Andrew. In what ways did this death motivate Andrew to make changes in his own life? In your opinion, did the death have a positive or negative impact on Andrew? How can you tell? 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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