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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The woman transported the swan ____________________________.
(a) From Shanghai to Kweilin
(b) From Shanghai to America
(c) From New York to San Francisco
(d) From Hong Kong to Shanghai

2. The old woman who buys a swan eventually _____________________________.
(a) Eats the swan to survive
(b) Takes the swan back to China
(c) Takes the swan to America
(d) Gives the swan to her daughter

3. A man on the street leers and acts threatening to Lena's mother. Her mother feels this happened because ______________________________.
(a) She was pregnant
(b) She had dressed up too much
(c) She had her daughter with her
(d) Her life was out of balance

4. The symbolic burning of the Five Evils was actually ___________________________.
(a) A box containing insects
(b) A green coil of burning incense
(c) A box with Five Evils inside
(d) A cooling ritual

5. When she was bored, Jing-mei ________________________________.
(a) Watched her mother jump up to adjust the television
(b) Looked at herself in the mirro
(c) Counted the foghorn bellows on the bay
(d) Read the Bible

Short Answer Questions

1. Between the child and mother there is a discernible sense of ______________________________.

2. The mother's fear for her child is that _______________________________________.

3. The swan represents to the old woman ____________________________.

4. Besides losing her name, Lena's mother lost ________________________.

5. The woman's daughter speaks _______________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Ying-Ying has remained a frightened child into her adulthood, and now her daughter is forced to live with Ying-Ying's fears. Why is Ying-Ying St. Clair so afraid?

2. Why would Lindo begin to think of her cruel husband as a god?

3. The soup An-Mei's mother made for her dying mother was the ultimate show of love for her mother. What does it symbolize?

4. The woman wishes for a daughter just like herself, but there are some caveats. Discuss the things she does not want for her daughter.

5. Discuss the "scar" reference. How did it happen and why?

6. What does Lindo's snuffing the candle out signify?

7. Discuss why Lindo's clever scheme works on her mother-in-law.

8. This parable is loaded with symbolism. Since the old woman paid a "foolish sum" for the swan, and then loses it, what might this symbolize?

9. The Moon Lady says woman is the dark yin, and man is the bright truth of yang. How did this kind of thinking affect the characters in this book over their lifetimes?

10. Discuss the unusual circumstances under which Lena lives.

(see the answer keys)

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