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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. Who had performed years earlier at the funeral of the party secretary's father?

2. How does Perry die?

3. Why does the narrator get angry sometimes when he thinks of Lisette and Perry, and of Lisette's leaving?

4. Who does Zhu Feng borrow money from?

5. What pet does Zhu Feng's father have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Xiaolei become obsessed with the pen for years after losing it?

2. What does Perry ask for that he thinks might help find Lisette, and why will the narrator not give it to him at first?

3. What is one sacrifice Cao Cao makes to please the local Communist leader every season?

4. Why does Xiaolei so desperately want to move to the city in "Shanghai Murmur"?

5. What is Cao Cao's relationship with his son like?

6. Why does Xiaolei get in an altercation with the handsome customer's wife?

7. What does Cao Cao suspect about the party secretary in "Flying Machine"?

8. How does Xiaolei feel after visiting the handsome, rich man's apartment in the story "Shanghai Murmur"?

9. In "Flying Machine," what does Cao Cao have a talent for?

10. What is Anning's strongest memory of the time when she and Cao Cao got married?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does the narrator decide to stay with her boyfriend Eric in the story titled "Beautiful Country" even though she doubts his fidelity? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "Flying Machine," why does Cao Cao want so desperately to be accepted into the Communist Party, and how does he try to achieve this goal? What aspects of life under the Communist regime does Chen convey to the reader in this story, and how does she communicate these points? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 717 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample