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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does the narrator fetch to persuade her brother not to participate in the demonstration?
(a) A school teacher.
(b) Her uncle.
(c) The tutor.
(d) Her father.

2. How is the first English paragraph in the Opening punctuated?
(a) With punctuation words, such as "period."
(b) With empty spaces.
(c) With skipped lines.
(d) With punctuation marks, such as quotations.

3. What does the narrator do during confession?
(a) Remain speechless.
(b) Confess all and beg for absolution.
(c) Praise the priest for his service.
(d) Fabricate sins.

4. How many years has Mother spent in exile?
(a) 10.
(b) 36.
(c) 18.
(d) 6.

5. After she bites, what does the narrator in "Urania: Astronomy" want to do?
(a) Die.
(b) Spit.
(c) Yell.
(d) Swallow.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Urania: Astronomy," Cha creates an elaborate pun on which of the following words?

2. In the Opening, which image is used to describe the anonymous woman's difficulty?

3. What year does Mother graduate from college?

4. What year did Yu Guan Soon die?

5. Which language opens the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the significance of the title which first appears in the "Opening." What does "dictee" mean? How does it fit the work?

2. Why is Yu Guan Soon's birth dated on the lunar calendar while her death is dated on the Julian calendar?

3. Why is Mother born in Manchuria?

4. What is the significance of the italicized passages in the "Opening"?

5. Why does Cha include a quoted section of Japanese-Korean history in "Clio: History"?

6. Why does Cha include images of the circulatory system, the nervous system, and the respiratory system in in "Urania: Astronomy," a section dedicated to astronomy?

7. Describe the process Mother undergoes to become an American citizen.

8. Why does Cha include the letter from the Koreans living in Hawaii to the President of the United States?

9. Discuss the break down in the translation exercise in the opening, particularly beginning with exercise number 5 in the second set of translations. Why does the grammar, tone, and voice shift?

10. Discuss the significance of breath in "Urania: Astronomy."

(see the answer keys)

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