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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 mother of the short man bring to him while he was in jail?

2. What do the Chinese celebrate on October 1?

3. What animal lived under the stove in Teacher Hei's house?

4. Where did Pan teach Salzman after he was no longer admitted to the Sports Unit?

5. What did Salzman bring to the coffee shop the second time he went there?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Pan offer to Salzman toward the end of his stay in China?

2. Describe Teacher Hei.

3. Describe Little Mi and Salzman's reaction to her.

4. How did Little Mi have a moment of freedom at the end of her bicycle ride back to the hospital?

5. What problem did Salzman have when he tried to buy some coffee in Hangzhou?

6. What happened when Teacher Wu and the Yale-China Field Staff Director observed Salzman's class?

7. How did Salzman stab himself in the thigh with his sword?

8. Why did Teacher Hei want Salzman to keep their lessons a secret?

9. Describe some of the things the runaway did while he is living with Bill and Salzman.

10. Describe Pan's illness and explain why he refused to stay in the hospital.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

As Salzman traveled around China, what were some of the challenges he faced? How did he resolve these challenges? What did he learn from them?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the significance of Pan's final meeting with Salzman. Why did Salzman find it exhilarating? Why was Pan's gift of the sword meaningful to Salzman? Did it represent a change in they way Pan thought about his skills?

(see the answer keys)

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