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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. How does Tiller describe Val's age in Chapter 1?

2. What was the duration of Pong's father's sentence to hard labor?

3. What was Pong's father's name?

4. What is the name of the town where Tiller grew up?

5. How large does Pong describe his father's Mao portrait in Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened during dinner in Chapter 6?

2. How are Pong's parents described?

3. What was Tiller's family like growing up?

4. Where and how did Tiller and Val meet?

5. What recent "good thing" (14) does Tiller describe having done for Val in Chapter 1?

6. What passion did VeeJ adopt in Chapter 5? What led to this newfound hobby?

7. What did Perry reveal about his daughter in Chapter 8? How did the others respond?

8. How did Pong describe Drum Kappagoda to Tiller in Chapter 4?

9. What were Tiller's circumstances like when he met Pong?

10. What were Tiller's first impressions of Pong when they met?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of Pong Lou in My Year Abroad. Where does Tiller meet Pong? How does this meeting change Tiller's life? In what ways does Pong assist Tiller in his journey to self-enlightenment?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Lucky in My Year Abroad. What is Lucky's profession? Where does he live? What is his family like? What are Lucky's motivations in the story? What becomes of this character?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of mental illness and suicide in My Year Abroad. What characters suffer from mental illness? How does it manifest in their actions and behaviors? What are Tiller's thoughts about mental illness?

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