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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. How old was Bo when he went to see his father in the North?

2. What action had Bo's grandfather taken in relation to Bo's grandmother just before she had left forever?

3. The organizer of Bo and Ma's escape attempt has what name?

4. Ngo Dinh Diem was the prime minister of what area of Vietnam when he decided to fight the Binh Xuyen?

5. During Bo's father's visit, he told Bo that whose family was "too nguy" for him to "risk being associated" (224) with them?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. One day a box arrives at the Bui home and it is from Vietnam. What is contained inside?

4. Whom does Thi name as being a difficult person for her to write about?

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

6. What extreme action do Bo and Hai take in order to keep Hai's children quiet during the escape?

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

8. What objects must the Bui family burn when the Communists begin to search the people's homes?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of The Best We Could Do and analyze Bui’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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