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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. Chapter 2: "Rewind, Reverse" begins in 2015, but quickly moves to what other year?

2. What sort of merchant had poisoned the waters near Bo's boyhood home?

3. Bui tells Nguyen that she had done what it took to get out of what California city?

4. Lan had moved out of the family home due to problems with whom?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What food always brings comfort to Thi and why?

4. Thi likens the way she feels at the sight of the surgical instruments to what scene from her childhood?

5. What sort of tone does Bui use to describe Bo's parenting style?

6. What behavior of Ma's disappoints Thi in the memoir's opening scene?

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

8. As a young child, Thi imagines the lights of the cars on the highway as what other objects?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sensory details are used frequently by Bui in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative of The Best We Could Do. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used serve Bui’s creation of vivid characters to populate the narrative.

Essay Topic 2

Write a critical essay about The Best We Could Do while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the memoir's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the memoir.

Essay Topic 3

How is the role of motherhood treated within The Best We Could Do and how does its treatment relate to the memoir's depicted messages?

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