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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 is special about the item the handsome man leaves in the shop in "Shanghai Murmur"?

2. What does Xiaolei do for the man in the apartment building who died?

3. How does Perry die?

4. What do the villagers go up the mountain to gather in the story "Flying Machine"?

5. Why does Lisette leave town?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does the narrator in "On the Street Where You Live" let Lisette treat him the way she does?

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

4. In "Land of Big Numbers," why is Zhu Feng jealous of Li?

5. What does Xiaolei do to honor the man who dies in her building in "Shanghai Murmur"?

6. What does Perry mistakenly think the narrator has done with Lisette?

7. What happens to Cao Cao's noodle robot?

8. In "Flying Machine," how do Cao Cao's efforts to win over the local Communist Party work out?

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

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

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 "Lulu," how does the narrator begin to feel about Lulu's increasingly aggressive activism? How does Chen develop the growing tension between Lulu and the narrator, and how does she communicate this tension to the reader? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

In the story "Gubeikou Spirit," how does Chen demonstrate to the reader that the people in the station have largely accepted their own imprisonment? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 721 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample