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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. Which is the setting for Kingston's biography of great grandfather Bak Goong in "The Great Grandfather of Sandalwood Mountains"?

2. Where does Hina of the night sleep?

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

4. How do Ed's partners swindle him out of the business?

5. How many times does Ah Goong go to Gold Mountain?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

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

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

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

6. Explain how prior knowledge or a similar experience can help a reader understand the events that occur in "On Fathers."

7. How do the Chinese workers organize a strike against the railroad company without the "white demons" finding out?

8. Compare and contrast the genre used for "On Discovery" and for "On Fathers."

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

10. Why would Tang beg to have the bandages replaced tightly after having the them removed from his feet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Study the immigration laws currently on the books in the United States. Compare them to "The Laws" the author describes in that chapter. Verify the accuracy of the laws Kingston describes. Note that some of the laws address California immigration, and others were passed by the federal government. How have the laws changed since Kingston wrote this novel in 1977? Do you think the changes have been positive or negative? How do the modern laws affect different people?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the meaning of Diaspora. Explain how a Diaspora of the China Men occurred in the United State. Find other examples of Diaspora events in history, such as the Jewish Diaspora of ancient times. Write a persuasive essay that defends or denies the practice of Diaspora. Include details you discovered during your research as well as details from the description of the Driving Out of Chinese immigrants in China Men.

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