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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. Who is the police officer who investigates the car theft at the motel?

2. Who asks for a wake-up call in Chapter 5?

3. When does Mia witness Mr. Yao humiliating Jason?

4. Who owns the Calivista Motel?

5. What important machine breaks in the hotel during Mia's family's first weeks there?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mia's mother tell her when Mia asks her why they came to America in the first place?

2. Why do Mia's parents refuse to let her help them clean at the motel?

3. Why does Mia's mother get fired from her job at the Chinese restaurant in Part I?

4. What does Mr. Yao tell Mia is the difference between a good employee and a bad employee?

5. What happens that causes a great stir at the motel in Chapter 21?

6. What impresses Jason Yao about Mia in Chapter 14?

7. What do Mia's interactions with the police in Chapter 21 make her realize?

8. What do Mia's parents only use on special occasions, either for joy or distress, from China?

9. How does Mia's class act when Mrs. Douglas introduces China as the topic?

10. What act of kindness and generosity does Mia do for Uncle Li in Chapter 16?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are some of the circumstances and events that lead to Mia's parents never being able to save money while they are managing the Calivista Motel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

How does Mia's experience with gaining, and then immediately losing, the chocolate notebook in Mrs. Fletcher's class affect her attitudes and feelings about her own abilities and about school going forward? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Rarely, Mia and her parents come across an opportunity to indulge in a small luxury, like a manicure offered by one of the immigrants her parents are hiding at the Calivista. Write an essay explaining how Mia and her parents feel about these small treats, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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