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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 is the significance of the Supreme Court ruling in the1898 case, The United States v. Wong Kim Ark?

2. Which best describes the setting of "On Fathers"?

3. What does Ah Goong, BaBa's father, do with BaBa that horrifies the family?

4. What do the women do to help stir the cool female winds inside Tang's body?

5. What condition does the monk set on what Tu Tzu-chun can do during his illusions?

Short Essay Questions

1. Compare and contrast the proverbs "On Mortality" and "On Mortality Again."

2. Tell what the Four Valuable Things are and explain their importance to the Chinese culture.

3. Explain the cause for the children's confusion and its effects on the characters in "On Fathers."

4. Explain the progression of laws that at first limited Chinese family members from entering the U.S. to the laws that allowed them entry whether the quota had been met or not.

5. Briefly describe the process of footbinding and tell why the women sing to him when tightly bandaging his feet.

6. Why does Bak Goong have so much trouble staying quiet while working in the cane fields?

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

8. Describe how the author uses personification in "The Great Grandfather from the Sandalwood Mountains." Give examples from the text.

9. What is the purpose for making Tang Ao's capture so easy it could be done by women?

10. Provide examples from "The Ghostmate" of vivid imagery that reveals the man's mood as he heads back to his childhood home. Is the young man happy or sad?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Analyze the context in which Kingston addresses immortality in China Men. Do the Chinese men in China associate the Gold Mountain with immortality? Explain your answer in detail, citing quotes from specific chapters in China Men. Use other sources to find examples of man's search for or dream of achieving immortality. Are they consistent with Kingston's references in China Men?

Essay Topic 3

Kingston provides several examples of the use of the color red by Chinese. What does the color red symbolize for Chinese people? In what ways do Chinese people integrate the color red into their lives?

(see the answer keys)

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