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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. As power changed hands in China in 1644, what did not decline?

2. Who is an official who passed his scholarly chu-jen examination?

3. What apparition do the people in T'ang-ch'eng believe in?

4. In the first magic story by P'u Sung-ling from 1668, what event does a young boy attend?

5. Who does Liu meet with the police who is threatened by starvation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the pao-chia system?

2. Describe corvee in T'an-ch'eng in the 1640s.

3. Describe Huang Liu-hung's work as an official for the county.

4. Describe the snowfall and its effect on the farmers in T'an-ch'eng in 1671.

5. What magic does Hsiao-erh practice to escape with Ting and to survive the bandits?

6. Describe Huang's relationship with local landlords and unpaid taxes.

7. Describe the earthquake in T'ang-Ch'en in 1668.

8. What is the story about the old widow and her fantasy that P'u Sung-ling shares?

9. How is Feng K'o-t'san described in Chapter 1, the Observers?

10. What is the funny story involving a fox and a rebellion that P'u Sung-ling tells?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What public systems are maintained in the county of T'ang-Ch'eng via taxes? What private or Imperial systems are maintained? Who builds and maintains this infrastructure? Is taxation thus beneficial to the individual citizen? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Spence describes the practice of forced labor in T'ang-Chen. What are the conditions of forced labor? How does forced labor maintain the status quo in Imperial China? What rights do forced laborers have or lack? What freedoms, restrictions, and rules do they have?

Essay Topic 3

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two themes about loss in the book. Cite an example to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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