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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 arrangements does Xi-feng talk to her husband about in relation to get-togethers?

2. Who is the love interest of Bao-yu's newly adopted "son" Jia Yun?

3. What are Aroma's overall plans for Bao-yu?

4. What did Bao-yu not allow to be taken from him by his pages?

5. What kind of party does Grandmother Jia decide to hold?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is revealed about Xi-feng's character in the episode involving a servant woman bringing money to her?

2. Why is Dai-yu overcome with grief as she listens to the words of the actresses rehearsing in the garden?

3. In what ways are Bao-yu's intellectual abilities displayed in the events surrounding Yuan-chun's visit?

4. How does Bao-yu show increasing maturity in his response to the quarrels among his female companions?

5. How does Patience show her loyalty to Xi-feng in Chapter 16?

6. In Chapter 20, how does Bao-yu show that he cares about Dai-yu?

7. Why do the children move into the Prospect Garden?

8. Analyze Bao-yu's interactions with his father Jia Zheng during the naming party.

9. What can be understood from the relationship between Qin Zhong and Sappy?

10. How is the relationship between Bao-yu and his servants developed in the events after Yuan-chun's visit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Because he is won over and particularly moved by the story of the stone, it could be said that Vanitas (later Brother Amor) is the character readers should identify with most. Comment upon this idea, explaining in the process how or why the story is "not just another erotic romance" as the stone itself says.

Essay Topic 2

"In The Story of the Stone, the keeping of secrets frequently benefits all concerned." In your perception, is this statement true or false? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The central character of Bao-yu has a very clear arc of development. Discuss this with particular focus on the different levels of maturity that he attains and how he attains them.

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