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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. In "Hsi-liu," who has difficulty learning to read?

2. To what spirit is a shrine made in T'ang-ch'eng to protect from evil spirits in the 17th century?

3. In what story does a naive man have to acquire crickets?

4. What scheme does the husband's relatives have to inherit the widow's property in Woman P'eng?

5. In "The Local History of T'an-ch'eng," who do widows struggle to raise?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Huang Liu-hung find most disturbing about the people in his county?

3. Describe Hsi-liu and her struggle with Ch'ang hu.

4. How does Lien's killer misunderstand the Chinese law?

5. What kind of loot does the Manchu army take in 1643?

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

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

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

9. What do many widows do to raise their children?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Taoism strongly emphasizes the relationship of people to the environment in harmony. How does this belief system contrast with the violence depicted in the book? Can such actions such as Ts'ui and Li's in response to injustice be reconciled with Taoism? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the Woman Wang. What was her role in the book? How does she relate to Jen? What was Spence trying to accomplish by describing the Woman Wang in the book?

Essay Topic 3

The four rhetorical modes of writing are exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. Which mode or modes are used in this book and how? List at least one example of each mode you find in the book. Explain what reason Spence might have had for using it.

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