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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. What did the peasant pay Mr. Gong in exchange for helping his feverish son?

2. Who was Mr. Gong?

3. Who traveled with Salzman to South Central China?

4. What skin problem did Salzman develop in the Fall of 1982?

5. What kind of Chinese boats did Salzman say were shaped like cigars?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe what made Salzman's lecture about the movie character E.T. so successful.

2. Why was Mark Salzman detained at the train station when he was leaving China after a two-year stay?

3. Why did Salzman offer to get a book on Michelangelo from America for Lin?

4. What lessons did Salzman learn from Hai Bin during their calligraphy sessions together?

5. What did Salzman learn about Mr. Gong's past during his English lesson with him?

6. What did Salzman perform for Pan after he first met him?

7. What did Old Sheep fear about the suicide of a college worker?

8. How did Salzman entertain Old Ding's family?

9. What did Salzman do with the fish Old Ding and his brothers gave him as a gift?

10. Describe the Hunan Theater.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Teacher Hei's role in changing Salzman's approach to martial arts. In what way did he soften Salzman's style and get him to relax? Did he serve as a role model for Salzman?

Essay Topic 2

What fascinated Old Ding and his family about Salzman? How did Salzman interact with the family in a warm and genuine way? How do you know that the Ding family truly appreciated Salzman?

Essay Topic 3

What do you learn about Communist China from reading "Iron & Silk"? How does Salzman reflect on the political as well as the personal in this memoir?

(see the answer keys)

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