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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 makes the author afraid to name the village in China where her family lives?

2. What is it that Maui instructs all the living creatures on Earth to do in order to accomplish his goal?

3. From what point of view is "On Fathers" written?

4. Which best describes the genre of these two chapters: "The Ghostmate" and "The Father From America"?

5. What does a Chinese bride do for three nights before she marries?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the long path that leads to the widow's house in "The Ghostmate"?

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

3. Explain how the author of "The Ghostmate" cues the reader that the main character represents any China Man in their youth.

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

5. Explain the Fair Share Refugee Act of 1960.

6. Describe the elements of fantasy Kingston uses to characterize Maui the Trickster in "On Mortality Again."

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

8. In "On Mortality," how does the author make the reader sympathize with Tu when he is born as a deaf-mute girl child?

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

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

Identify times in Kingston's novel, China Men, when a character's expectations about Gold Mountain are not met. Compare and contrast characters' expectations with the reality they experience in America. Consider the plight of the Sojourners. Why do so many return to China? Why do some stay in America, leaving their families behind in a hostile China?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Identify the Four Most Valuable Things according to Chinese tradition. Tell why the Chinese valued these things. Cite examples from China Men that illustrate why these items are called the Four Most Valuable Things. Think about four valuable things in modern society. What things would you list as most valuable? How are they similar to and different from the Chinese traditional Four Most Valuable Things?

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