View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. On which of the following floors is the observation deck of Taipei 101?

2. Which of the following smells does Leigh note on Alex?

3. As which of the following does Leigh gloss “hunxie” in the novel?

4. As which of the following does Leigh gloss “niao” in the novel?

5. As which of the following does Leigh gloss “xiexie” in the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Leigh contrast Axel’s appearance at the funeral with his usual appearance?

2. What signs from Caro does Leigh interpret as disbelief of her account of Dorothy’s transformation?

3. What does Leigh note as of interest in the park she visits with Waipo on her first full day in Taipei?

4. What experience bringing fantuan to school does Leigh relate?

5. Why does Brian note Leigh should not have received the box she reports receiving from the bird Dorothy became?

6. On her way to Taipei from the United States, Leigh muses on encroaching coldness. She offers two ideas about it; what are they?

7. What does Leigh note about her fourteenth birthday?

8. How does Leigh relate her parents’ meeting to the Renards?

9. What reason is given to Leigh for the change to the pastry shop’s logo?

10. How is what had been Dorothy’s favorite Taoist temple described when Leigh approaches it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Leigh’s grandfather is never named by his name in the novel; he is only ever referred to as Waigong. What purpose is served by the refusal to name him? How is it served?

Essay Topic 2

Consider the epigraph from Emily Dickinson: “If I should see a single bird.” Typically, epigraphs suggest one or more of the themes of the works they introduce. Does the epigraph on The Astonishing Color of After effectively suggest one or more of the novel’s themes? If so, how? If not, what purpose does the epigraph serve, and how does it achieve it?

Essay Topic 3

Sources attest to the presence of The Astonishing Color of After on best-seller lists. Assuming that sales figures reflect popularity, what accounts for the popularity of the novel? How does it do so?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 698 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample