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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 turns out to be the actual "missing Asian"?

2. What part of Phoebe's bedtime routine makes the protagonist think she has been watching and learning from him?

3. What point does Older Brother make about discrimination against Asians in the United States?

4. On page 195, when the protagonist questions Karen's choice of a place to bring Phoebe up, what does Karen reply?

5. What is the reign of violent oppression begun by Chiang Kai-shek called?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In what ways does Karen influence the protagonist to develop emotionally?

4. 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?

5. What happens to Ming-Chen Wu's friend Allen after he becomes a success in the United States?

6. On page 188, the script notes that Karen and Phoebe's show is "a cartoon. Sort of." In what sense is this both literally and figuratively true?

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

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

9. What is the structural purpose of telling the story of Ming-Chen Wu and Dorothy right before the protagonist starts his relationship with Karen?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Willis's ambitions are entirely circumscribed by the world of Chinatown. And yet, to go outside of Chinatown to find better opportunities would mean leaving behind a significant part of himself. To what extent does American culture demand that a person give up primary loyalty to their heritage in exchange for success? Does this happen to everyone, or only to those in certain groups? Is there a logical way around this problem, or is it just one of the harsh realities that some people have to face? Write an essay in which you explore how this motif is developed within the novel and then make a claim about how well this represents modern-day America. Be sure to back claims in both sections of your essay with strong evidence and warrants, and remember that anecdotes about individuals are not evidence--evidence about social phenomena comes from studies of groups, not from individual cases. Cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you describe how the novel explores the idea of the "authentic" versus the "performative" self and then offer an analysis of the extent to which this idea applies only to minorities versus applying more generally to the human condition. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you explore the text's mixed emotional responses to Older Brother. What emotions does he elicit from Willis's perspective and from the other residents of Chinatown? Which emotions are directly expressed, and which are implied? How would you explain the conflicting responses he generates? Be sure to support your claims with textual evidence.

(see the answer keys)

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