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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. When the protagonist asks Phoebe how she managed to create a whole world for herself, what does she show him?

2. What time period in Taiwan is represented in Karen and Phoebe's new show?

3. What happens when the protagonist is finally freed from Black and White?

4. What is the jury's verdict?

5. Watching Phoebe playing in ACT V: KUNG FU DAD," what does the protagonist suddenly remember?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the protagonist react badly both to the news about the baby and the later news about Karen's new show?

2. In what sense does Older Brother agree that the protagonist is guilty?

3. When Ming-Chen tells Dorothy, on page 155, "This is how we met. And fell in love," what is Dorothy's response, and what compromise do they reach?

4. What does the protagonist see as the benefits and drawbacks of the place where his daughter is growing up?

5. What observations about family life does Yu make in the section "GENERIC ASIAN KID"?

6. When Dorothy and Ming-Chen Wu first meet, Dorothy asks him "Now that you've found me, what do you have to say for yourself?" (132) What is his response, and what is its significance?

7. When the police come for the protagonist, where does Karen say he is going, and what evidence is there that she does not really understand the protagonist's plan?

8. What causes the protagonist to finally go in search of his family?

9. What is the significance, during the protagonist's monologue, of the light hitting him "just right" (245)?

10. What does the protagonist believe he will gain and lose by staying with Phoebe and Karen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you consider Chinatown--both the Chinatown of the novel and real-world Chinatowns--as simulacra. Use evidence from the novel and from outside sources to evaluate how these various "Chinatowns" function as simulated replacements for reality. Be sure to cite your sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Do some research on the terms "late capitalism" and "commodification" as they relate to postmodernism. When you have a strong understanding of these terms, write a thesis-driven essay that applies them to Yu's Interior Chinatown. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text and to cite any outside references in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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