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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. Ma's first job in America requires putting what objects together?

2. Bui describes her family as fleeing from one country and starting over in another during what decade?

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

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

5. What adjective does Thi use to describe the "demons" (68) from her parents' pasts that had haunted Thi's childhood home?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

5. How does the doctor respond to Thi's question about her child's birth?

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

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

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

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

10. Describe two different methods Thi uses to address her problems with Bo.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Bui’s messages about guilt and responsibility within The Best We Could Do.

Essay Topic 2

Explicate the theme of grief within The Best We Could Do. What is Bui’s message regarding grief and how do you know?

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 883 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample