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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 Jen doing to his wife as she is dreaming?

2. What does Jen's wife's supposed killer admit to doing?

3. Who narrates the story regarding the arrest of Jen's wife's supposed killer?

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

5. Who defends the alibi of the supposed murderer?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the story that P'u Sung-ling writes about a woman confronting rampaging soldiers?

3. What is the sad story P'u Sung-ling tells about a young woman and a nobleman?

4. Why is Jen able to survive the beating?

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

6. What does Huang discover at Jen's house?

7. Describe Wang's surreal dream.

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

9. How does Jen place the blame of Wang's death on Kao?

10. What is done to placate Wang's ghost and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Famines happened often in China at this time, decimating entire populations. What concerns for health and hygiene do they raise? As a result of the famine, the people are struggling to survive when bandits attack. What strengths and weaknesses are revealed in the people?

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.

(see the answer keys)

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