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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. Which person does the protagonist remember frequently playing characters who died?

2. What does the protagonist suggest that he can teach the children on Karen and Phoebe's show?

3. What does the phrase "a castle in the air" refer to?

4. What does Ming-Chen Wu's father try to save from their burning house?

5. When the protagonist offers to play with Phoebe, where does she retreat?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the protagonist come to understand about his father in the book's final "Act"?

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

3. What is the rhetorical purpose of the list of anti-Asian laws that begins "ACT VI: THE CASE OF THE MISSING ASIAN"?

4. What is the confusion over who the "missing Asian" is, and what bizarre revelation comes as the confusion is cleared up?

5. 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?

6. How does Yu set the reader up to feel the maximum impact of the revelation of Phoebe's fifth "fear"?

7. What thematic purpose does it serve to focus on the attractiveness of the prosecutor and witnesses and to include indicators of sexual tension in the courtroom?

8. What is the conflict between the protagonist and Karen about how Phoebe is growing up?

9. What is the double-meaning of "learning time" in "ACT V: KUNG FU DAD"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The life story of the protagonist's father is in some ways specific to the world of Interior Chinatown, in some ways specific to the experience of immigrants, and in some ways universal--particularly in his "descent" from stardom to generic bit parts for older actors. Consider this third aspect of his story: write an essay in which you demonstrate how Ming's story conveys a message about society's treatment of the elderly. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

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 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)

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