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. Which is an example from the text of sensory details?

2. Tu cannot deliver his messages and take care of his urgent things after he exits the tunnel because _____________________________.

3. What is an immortal?

4. Which railroad company building the Transcontinental Railroad does Ah Goong work for?

5. What is supposedly the cause of the "Mongolian spot" on some Chinese babies?

Short Essay Questions

1. What explanation does the tale of Tu Tzu-chun give for the "Mongolian spot" in "On Mortality?"

2. Explain how the author uses foreshadowing in the first two lines of "On Mortality."

3. At the end of the "The Laws," Kingston predicts that the 1980 census may show that a million or more ethnic Chinese will be living in the United States. Why does she have to predict the census numbers?

4. Describe how the widow in "The Ghostmate" uses the young man's talents against him.

5. Describe the way the women pierce Tang Ao's ears and what they do to keep the holes open. Include examples of sensory details the author uses in the text.

6. Explain the irony of Maui the Trickster' s demise in "On Mortality Again."

7. Why does Kingston say that MaMa's arrival ends Ed's independent life?

8. Describe the way great grandfather Bak Goong ends up working in the Sandalwood Mountains in Hawaii?

9. Evaluate the methods Kingston uses to reveal the passage of time while Ah Goong is working in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

10. Compare and contrast the tales that Kingston makes up about how her father gets to America.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Re-read the first two pages of Chapter 5, "The Great Grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains." Summarize what happens when Kingston sends a distant cousin money for a bike. Kingston shows uncertainty regarding her decision not to send more money. Describe her reasons for the precaution she takes not to place her family in China any troubles.

Use this summary as a springboard to a longer essay regarding why Sojourners were expected to send money home to their Chinese wives and families. Why was this practice necessary? Does it stop at anytime during the time covered in Kingston's novel?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the stories of Kingston's two relatives who helped build up the places they went outside of China. The Great Grandfather of Sandalwood Mountain" and "The Grandfather of the Sierra Nevada Mountains." Describe the similarities among the China men's two experiences, one in Hawaii and the other in America's Western states. Then describe the differences in the two men's experiences. What kinds of things contribute to the differences between the stories?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the folktales Kingston uses throughout China Men. For each one, describe how it is used to move along the plot in Kingston's novel. Study the Table of Contents to see where and how often the alternative genre is used. Do the tales foreshadow upcoming events? Do the fantasy stories serve to illustrate key points the author is trying to convey? Display your responses in a creative way that connects the ideas and patterns you discovered.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,459 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample