View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Huang goes to Jen's house, what does he notice about the mat?

2. When a wife starves her mother-in-law, what does her husband do secretly in one of P'u Sung-Ling's stories?

3. Under Chinese law, what is Jen supposed to do with his wife?

4. What happened to the man who was beaten that Ts'ui and his mother met?

5. P'u Sung-ling told a story about a woman who had a relationship with a nobleman and was pregnant. What happened to her?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ts'ui Meng try to avenge injustices meted out to Li?

2. How does Li protect Ts'ui Meng's wife?

3. What does he monk urge Ts'ui Meng to do for his own safety?

4. Describe the family conflict around P'u Sung-ling's marriage.

5. What do many women do after their husbands die in China?

6. How does Ts'ui Meng react to a wife murdering her husband and his mother and what does his mother do to appease the situation?

7. How does Kao get involved in Jen and Wang's marital dspute at the temple?

8. How does Ts'ui-hsien outwit her husband through magic?

9. Why is Kao made to pay for Wang's burial?

10. How is Jen's punishment lessened and what does it say about the Chinese system?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is sexuality portrayed in the story of Woman Wang? When is it acceptable to be sexual and to whom in Chinese society at the time? When is sexual freedom punished by the law? Describe in relationship to the fictional stories presented by P'u Sung-ling and the real life story of the Woman Wang.

Essay Topic 2

In T'ang-Chen in the 1640s, what creates impoverished conditions for the peasants? What freedom do the peasants lack? What choices do they have? What choices do they make?

Essay Topic 3

Spence frequently describes the importance of virtue in relationship to widows. He points out that virtue is sometimes prompted by a desire for honor. Is this real virtue? Why or why not? Is this desire linked to cultural norms or human pride or both?

(see the answer keys)

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