View a FREE sample

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 line that the protagonist finally delivers, on page 76, when his chance comes and all eyes are on him?

2. In "ACT II: INT. GOLDEN PALACE," what does the protagonist find the other men doing outside his door?

3. What is it reasonable to assume is the purpose of the long list of names on page 58?

4. Why is the protagonist awake so late on most nights?

5. What is Karen Lee's job?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how residents use their small spaces at the Chinatown SRO Apartments and what this might signify.

2. How does the text describe Bruce Lee?

3. How does Young Fong pack his father's things, and why is this so significant to the protagonist?

4. Why did the protagonist's father and Older Brother have a falling out, and what does the detectives' reaction demonstrate about them?

5. What are the multiple identities of Karen Lee?

6. What language does the protagonist speak to his father in the restaurant, and how does it reveal one source of the gap between them?

7. What are the protagonist's earliest memories of his father?

8. When Green and Turner do not offer Mini Boss the deal that he wants, how does he escape?

9. When Green takes the protagonist's side in his argument with Turner, what does Turner say about both the protagonist's and Green's reactions?

10. How does the protagonist feel when he sees his father working in the kitchen, and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that explores the impact of poverty on the residents of the Chinatown SRO Apartments. Consider how it impacts their relationships, their interior lives, and their beliefs about America. Support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you analyze how the novel develops the idea of Asian-Americans as a "marginalized" population. Stereotypes are not the focus, here--you are focusing on the idea of people being pushed out of the center of power and becoming spectators rather than actors in the larger story of America. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text and to cite any outside references in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write a thesis-driven essay in which you analyze the ambitions of Willis Wu. What are his ambitions, and where do they come from? At what point do his ambitions cease being merely about wanting material security (a safe and comfortable place to live, enough food to eat, etc.) and start to be about something more intangible (ego, status, etc.) Are these ambitions inherent in his personality, or are his ideas about success derived from culture, family, or some other source? Be sure to provide textual support for your claims.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,074 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample