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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. When Lena's mother speaks to her in Chinese, Lena ____________________________________.
2. The child's mother responds to the question about the twenty six gates, by _________________________________.
3. Filling out so many forms at customs, the woman _________________________________________.
4. In this parable, the corner represents ________________________________.
5. Rose had to care for her brothers to learn ________________________.
Short Essay Questions
1. Lindo Jong became the property of her husband's family long before she went to live with them. Discuss how this changed the way her mother perceived her and treated her.
2. What triggers Ying-Ying's early memory of her traumatic fall from the family boat?
3. Is Ying-Ying a neglected child?
4. Waverly's unusual talent becomes a reason to pamper and spoil her. Does she appreciate this treatment? How does it affect her?
5. What is the difference between the little girl's response to her mother's admonishment about riding the bicycle, and the response that one of these older women might have had to their mothers' warnings years ago?
6. What does Lindo's snuffing the candle out signify?
7. 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?
8. Rose's mother, An-Mei Hsu, has raised quite a large family in America. What might have made her want so many children?
9. Why would Lindo begin to think of her cruel husband as a god?
10. Discuss Ying-Ying's mental state and some of its origins.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
On page 22 of The Joy Luck Club, Suyuan Woo describes the effects of war on the town of Kweilin. In effect, people from all walks of life became more equal in the midst of a disaster. Write an expository essay about events that tend to "level the playing field" in our society, whether as a whole or in groups or sectors. Consider natural disasters, economic disasters, political and other events.
Essay Topic 2
Do a thorough re-read of The Joy Luck Club and scan for recurring devices that make the story come alive. They are subtle, but you will notice that Amy Tan meticulously plants them in the right places to give her story consistency and to give her readers a real sense of her culture. One example is how she uses "smells" throughout the story - the smells from the sewer in Kweilin, Lindo learning to smell the toilets to be sure they were clean and being able to detect the amount of salt in a soup by its smell, the cat putting a stink on Suyuan's door, the smelly crab -- these are just a few instances.
Essay Topic 3
Write an essay about matchmaking in China. Although this practice was certainly not confined to China, it was practiced for several reasons, besides simply tradition. Research and understand the importance of this process, and share it in an essay, with examples and illustrations.
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This section contains 1,116 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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