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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. How old was Bo when he went to see his father in the North?
(a) 14.
(b) 19.
(c) 21.
(d) 11.

2. Bo names which person as providing him with the necessary documents to transfer to a school in Saigon?
(a) His teacher.
(b) His father.
(c) His school principal.
(d) His grandfather.

3. Thi describes her mother's scent by using the name of what brand?
(a) Jean Nate.
(b) Oil of Olay.
(c) Dove.
(d) Baby powder.

4. Bo states that when the French lost the Indochina War, it had what effect on him?
(a) His grandfather was killed.
(b) His school closed down.
(c) He could no longer pursue his education.
(d) Many of his family members were killed.

5. Who is Hai?
(a) Bo's brother.
(b) Ma's cousin.
(c) Bich's husband.
(d) Ma's brother.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Bo's reply when Ma tells him that she had been given a particular object by Bo's father?

2. Which members of her family does Thi interview for an oral history project and "the beginnings of this book" (136)?

3. When Bo again lived with his grandmother and grandfather at the age of 14, of what material was their roof made?

4. In what country does Ma say she was born?

5. Speaking about her mother, Ma says, "I hated it when my mother" (142) took what action?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way did the Communist party leaders use language to mask their true actions?

2. How is the motherhood archetype portrayed within Chapter 7, entitled "Heroes and Losers"?

3. For what specific purpose does Bui depict Ma's dedication to her children?

4. Describe the origins of Bui's memoir The Best We Could Do.

5. How does Bui elicit pathos within Chapter 7, entitled "Heroes and Losers"?

6. What is Thi's hypothesis about why one particular person in her life is difficult for her to write about?

7. What do the glamourous photographs of Ma symbolize to Thi after she becomes an adult?

8. In what year does Bo arrive in Saigon for the first time and to which of Thi's own experiences does she visually compare the moment in Bo's life?

9. What is ironic about Ma's openness with Travis, as depicted within the setting of the car?

10. What do the glamorous photographs of Ma symbolize to Thi during her childhood?

(see the answer keys)

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