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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. For what reason is Uncle Opium protected from investigation?

2. On what type of transport is Hyeonseo's mother traveling when she meets Hyeonseo's father?

3. About what malady is Hyeonseo speaking when she says that her father displayed signs of "an illness that is not acknowledged in North Korea" (67)?

4. Why does Hyeonseo's mother carry a candle to the door when meeting Hyeonseo's future father and her future husband for the second time?

5. For North Korean citizens, joining the Young Pioneer Corps is compulsory in the years between what two ages?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theme of language as a tool of manipulation present within the North Korean campaign of 1992?

2. How are the themes of money and freedom linked within the scene in which Hyeonseo's mother is caught on the street wearing trousers?

3. What event causes Hyeonseo to change her behavior of listening to South Korean pop with her friends?

4. How is Hyeonseo's mother's devotion to Hyeonseo's father demonstrated in the scene when Hyeonseo's father does not return on time from his business trip to China?

5. What does the author claim is ironic about North Korea's beginnings as a communist state?

6. What is the "only permitted outlet for spiritual fervor" (41) in North Korea and what does the author say is the punishment for seeking out different means of spirituality?

7. What beliefs about American people does Hyeonseo say are taught to every North Korean child?

8. What beliefs about Chinese people does Hyeonseo say are taught to every North Korean child?

9. What reason does the author provide for her claim that her family's new home in Hyesan was perfect for her "mother's illicit enterprises" (57)?

10. How is the theme of appearance versus reality demonstrated within the description of Hyeonseo's mother's behavior once her husband has been detained for ten days?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose a symbolic object from the memoir, such as Hyeonseo's boots, the Big Mac, or the portrait of Kim Jong-il and discuss its overall meaning and connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 2

The theme of power is one that comes up over and over within the memoir's narrative, particularly in relation to Hyeonseo's feelings of powerlessness and subsequent realizations about the power she does indeed hold. Choose three instances when Hyeonseo realizes that she does, indeed, carry power, even within her often precarious situation. Discuss how these realizations help to shape the author's message regarding power.

Essay Topic 3

The memoir does not shy away from including graphic and disturbing details when describing the horrors inflicted on the North Korean people by the ruling regime, such as the scene in which Hyeonseo witnesses a public hanging. Write a persuasive essay in which you argue for or against the use of this book in schools as a means to illuminate the ongoing human rights violations happening in North Korea.

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