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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 happens to Hong after Chen is taken away?

2. How does Chen calm himself as he prepares to take the exam?

3. Who is Wei Xi?

4. Where are Hong and Chen housed in Beijing?

5. What does the municipal examination do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Chen is invited out by three other scholars?

2. What does Hong tell the pirates about the letters he carries?

3. Why do the brothers stop in Qufu and who do they meet there? What does he ask them to do?

4. What happens when Hong visits a fortune teller?

5. What does Hong do while Chen is studying?

6. Where does the boat stop and Chen looks for Meng Dafu? What do the brothers do after that?

7. Where do the brothers finally stop after the Yellow River plain and where do they stay there?

8. What does Chen do that ends his friendship with Yuying and what does she do about it?

9. What happens as Hong is with the army about Wang Chih and the outpost where he was held?

10. How does Hong find information about the locusts and his village?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the conclusion of a novel, most readers either consciously or unconsciously engage in processing the book and usually come to a conclusion as to whether they like the book or not. Discuss one of the following:

1. Would you consider "The Examination" a "good" book? An interesting or enlightening book? Why or why not? Use examples to illustrate your stance.

2. What do you think are the elements of an outstanding novel? Analyze one of your favorite novels to see if those elements are present.

3. What are some reasons you might consider a novel a failure? Analyze a novel you think is a failure and see if those elements are in that novel.

Essay Topic 2

Bosse has tried as much as possible to use historical events and facts around which to weave his work of fiction. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think this book qualifies as an historical fiction? Why or why not?

2. If much of the events in the book are historical, what surprises you about the way the events play out?

3. Do you think the culture of that era is more or less advanced than you imagined? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Many events that happen in "The Examination" are foreshadowed by previous events and/or signs. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "foreshadow."

2. Why would an author use foreshadowing? Do you think it adds or detracts from your experience as a reader? Explain.

3. Trace and analyze five instances of foreshadowing in "The Examination". Match up what is mentioned earlier and what it foreshadows. Did you guess that each instance of foreshadowing was a "heads up" of something to come? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

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