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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 do the rumors say has happened to the Sunshan farm?

2. Who does the narrator begin to think actually knows Lulu better than anyone else in the family?

3. What does the narrator see on the hill on her way out of China that Gao's mother explains about?

4. What is different about Bayi's ex-boyfriend when she sees him?

5. What is one big reason Bayi left her ex-boyfriend?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do people keep eating the qiguo during the second season, even though it mostly makes people feel awful by then?

2. How does the government handle the crisis apparently caused by the second season of qiguo?

3. How do the characters seem to feel about the prospect of trying qiguo after the disastrous second season?

4. In the story "Lulu," how does the narrator become aware of Lulu's protests against the government?

5. When does the narrator tell his fiance Mao Xin about his sister in the story "Lulu?"

6. What does "qiguo" mean in the story "New Fruit"?

7. What changes after Pang Ayi and Lao Zhou eat the qiguo in "New Fruit"?

8. What happens during the second season the qiguo is available?

9. What did Gao and his school friends think was going on with Mouse in "Field Notes on a Marriage"?

10. In the story "New Fruit," what kinds of feelings does the qiguo produce in people at first?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story "Shanghai Murmur," why does Xiaolei become so fixated on the pen the attractive stranger leaves behind for years after its disappearance? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why is Xiaolei so anxious in the story "Shanghai Murmur" to leave her hometown and make her own way in the big city, even though she has no prospects and knows no one there? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

What are some of the unexpected benefits of the reactions of people to the qiguo fruit in the story "New Fruit" during its second season, when it elicits strong feelings of regret, sadness, and negativity in people eating it? What aspects of human nature do you think Chen is trying to illustrate with the characters' behaviors around the fruit in this story? Write an essay explaining your answers.

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