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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Thi witnesses which person get spat on as he is called a racial slur?
(a) Ma.
(b) Lan.
(c) Bo.
(d) Tam.

2. The action Bui's heart takes when she sees the surgical instrument is the same she remembers from a time when Bo had talked openly about what subject?
(a) Sex.
(b) Rape.
(c) American soldiers.
(d) Defection.

3. When Bui feels a particular emotion after the birth of her son, a "wave of" (22) what emotion for Ma washes over her?
(a) Anger.
(b) Empathy.
(c) Sadness.
(d) Nostalgia.

4. In what city do Thi's memories of Bo "live" (64)?
(a) San Diego.
(b) New York City.
(c) San Francisco.
(d) Miami.

5. Ma's first job in America requires putting what objects together?
(a) Adoptive families.
(b) Microchips.
(c) Boxes.
(d) Circuit boards.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the preface of The Best We Could Do, Bui states that the "seeds of this book were planted" in what year?

2. What does Bo do while Ma is working at her first job in America?

3. Bui states in the Preface that she helped to open what sort of high school?

4. Ma alleges that Bo had been taking what action during the birth of one of their children?

5. Thi says that which city had a military presence that resulted in prejudice against Asians?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one element of Ma's parenting that Bui depicts as being different for each one of her children?

2. For what purpose are allusions to heaven and hell included in Chapter 3?

3. For what purpose does Bui begin Chapter 2: "Rewind, Reverse" in a particular place and then change to a different era on the very next page?

4. Describe Thi's expression in the panel depicting her reaction to Bo's dangerous behavior.

5. In what time and place does the opening scene of The Best We Could Do begin?

6. What is the strongest emotion Thi feels toward Bo toward the end of her adolescence?

7. What are the qualities of Thi's memories about her childhood home in San Diego?

8. How does Bui incorporate foreshadowing in her creation of The Best We Could Do?

9. What event within her adolescence does Thi describe as "living the dream" "for an immigrant kid" (24)?

10. What event causes a very young Bo to mentally disown his father?

(see the answer keys)

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