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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 name did Pong propose for his company producing jamu drinks?

2. What are the Four Olds, according to Pong's story in Chapter 9?

3. In the picture that the man from the dark SUV showed Tiller, Val was standing with Victor Sr. in front of what landmark?

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

5. Where did Pong's father go shopping every morning, which irked Pong?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where and how did Tiller and Val meet?

2. What did Tiller tell his father when he prepared to depart for Asia with Pong and his business partner?

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

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

5. Why was Pong's father detained by the Red Guards?

6. What happened at the playground in Chapter 6?

7. What did Tiller do once he landed in Honolulu in Chapter 11?

8. What is the significance of the scene at the quarry in Chapter 5?

9. What is the name of Pong's jamu product? Who named it and what does the name mean?

10. How is Pong's family and home described in Chapter 4?

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

Discuss the motifs of food and music throughout My Year Abroad. What songs and musical artists are referenced or alluded to, and why? What different cuisines are described? What is the symbolic meaning of food, hunger, vomiting, and food preparation?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the character of Constance Kappagoda in My Year Abroad. What actions does Constance commit in the course of the novel? What motivations propel those actions? Do you consider Constance to be an ally to the protagonist or an antagonist? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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