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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. When trees and flowers are planted for the first time, it doesn't matter if they are planted ______________.

2. _______ stories in China are rare, so this might be one of the reasons why this book became so popular with the readers of the time.

3. What was the sound that Shen Fu associated with cranes flying around in the air when he was a child?

4. Shen Fu and Yun want to _______ themselves in the context of their love when they are reincarnated in their next lives.

5. To show the small in the large, one can plant ____________ in a corner as it will grow tall and strong and quickly.

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Shen Fu describe the cleverness of Yun when he talks about her life and her upbringing?

2. What are three things which Shen Fu gives instructions on when he is talking about plants and caring for plants?

3. Why does Shen Fu take up so much time talking about the arrangement of pots and cases? What is he trying to do for the plants?

4. Why does the teacher send Shen Fu home in order to write his compositions for school, according to the book?

5. What else did Yun teach herself to do, according to the description from Shen Fu in the story?

6. What doesn't Shen Fu understand about other couples since he and Yun's relationship is so different from the others?

7. What does Shen Fu describe doing when he was a child when he was lying on the grass?

8. What is the advice that Yun gives to Shen Fu about painting insects as a part of his artistic endeavors?

9. What does Shen Fu tells his parents about Yun when they meet as cousins when he is thirteen-years-old?

10. What happens in the incident with the earthworm and Shen Fu when he is a child?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shen Fu decides that even with his educational background that he wants to do something different, something his family sees as being beneath him.

Part 1: Why do you think Shen Fu decided to do something for which he was vastly overqualified?

Part 2: Do you think it's right to take on a job in which you are not challenged?

Part 3: How do you think your family would feel if you took on a job which was far below your skill set?

Essay Topic 2

Yun is cast out of the house after she tries to make good in a situation.

Part 1: Why do you think Yun is always cast as being a bad person in Shen Fu's family?

Part 2: How do you think you might respond if someone cast you out of your family?

Part 3: Do you think that Yun is a bad person? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

While this is a section about the simplest of pleasures, Shen Fu uses a lot of descriptions in order to be clear about what his pleasures are.

Part 1: Why do you think Shen Fu felt the need to be so technical in the way that he writes?

Part 2: Do you think the pleasures of Shen Fu are simple since they are so difficult to describe and to understand?

Part 3: How do you think a simple pleasure should be described? Can you describe one of your own?

(see the answer keys)

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