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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. What is the exam that the sons of widows need to pass?

2. What does the official of T'ang-ch'eng get Peking officials to lower?

3. In "Hsi-liu," how old is the widow when she is forced to raise two sons on her own?

4. How far away do workers have to go for forced labor in Huang's story?

5. In the second magic story, what does a man who falls asleep dream of?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Hsiao-erh and Ting's relationship.

3. What is the story of The Fighting Cricket?

4. How does Hsiao-erh save the the people in the village from drought and famine?

5. How does a woman's rights compare to that of her son?

6. What is the pao-chia system?

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

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

9. What is the story that P'eng's husband's relatives make up in order to attack Lien?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Spence's book covers primarily a third-person narrative with some stories interwoven. Do you find this style choppy? Why or why not? Is it comprehensive? Does it flow well?

Essay Topic 2

Freedom was a recurring theme in The Death of Woman Wang. Who was free? Who lacked freedom? What constricted freedom? How did Wang gain or lose freedom? Which authorities controlled access to freedom and in what ways? Did Wang need a purpose in life to be free? Discuss.

Essay Topic 3

Natural disasters occurred throughout the narrative.. How did these events impact Huang and in what ways? Describe, giving examples of observations he made about T'ang-Ch'eng.

(see the answer keys)

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