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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 3 begins in what location?

2. In the panel depicting Thi's family members, Bich says, "It's pronounced" (29) in what way?

3. How old was Thi when her parents separated?

4. Thi states that her "memories of [Bo] live in" (64) what kind of dwelling?

5. How many years after Ma's suicide attempt does she bring up the subject with Thi for the first time?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. For what reason is Bo unable to teach in the United States, though he had taught in Vietnam?

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

7. What major change do Thi and Travis undertake in 2006 and why?

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

9. Explain the nature of the present-day relationship between Bo and Ma.

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

Determine Bui’s message within the memoir The Best We Could Do regarding the idea that some chasms that exist between family members will never be wholly filled.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the reasons why Bui uses the first person point-of-view for her own narrative voice, as well as using first person to allow her parents to essentially tell their own stories. What elements of the work’s themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Bui’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Bui’s focus on the theme of family bonds in The Best We Could Do. What message is Bui sending about aspects of family such as closeness, loyalty, and a shared sense of identity?

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