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. Who makes the hut from the mats that Wang Lung buys in the city in Chapter 11?

2. What does the gatekeeper demand of Wang Lung before admitting him to the House of Hwang in Chapter 1?

3. What does Wang Lung's father compare drinking tea to in the beginning of Chapter 1?

4. How far is the distance described that Wang Lung's family must travel to reach the city in the south in Chapter 9?

5. Who turns the villagers against Wang Lung during the hard times after the drought in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where do Wang Lung and O-lan go on the second day of the New Year in Chapter 5?

2. What conflict does Wang Lung encounter at the barber's in Chapter 1?

3. How do Wang Lung and his family reach the city in the south in Chapter 10?

4. How has Wang Lung's fate changed in Chapter 8? How does he respond to this change of fate?

5. What conflict occurs between Wang Lung and his aunt in Chapter 7?

6. What does Wang Lung vow to do in regards to his land in Chapter 6?

7. How do Wang Lung's circumstances during the winter differ from those of his uncle in Chapter 4?

8. How does Wang Lung's uncle respond when Wang Lung yells at him in Chapter 7?

9. What event leads Wang Lung to stop working as a rickshaw driver in Chapter 14?

10. What preparations does Wang Lung make when he returns to his land in Chapter 15?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Wang Lung’s sons in the narrative. How are they similar? How are they different? What does Wang Lung expect from each of his sons? Who defies Wang Lung? How?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the settings of Wang Lung’s village and the city in the south. Why does Wang Lung’s family relocate to the city during famine? How does Wang Lung perceive the differences of city-dwellers and farmers? Which setting do you relate the most to? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes of morality and necessity in The Good Earth. When does morality come into question in the course of the story? What leads this questioning? What morals do you feel the author expresses through Wang Lung’s narrative?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,029 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample