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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 does O-lan say she will do if Cuckoo or Lotus are allowed into her room after she has died in Chapter 26?

2. How does O-lan explain her growing illness to Wang Lung in Chapter 18?

3. Where does Wang Lung wish to have his second-eldest son apprenticed in Chapter 25?

4. Who suggests that Wang Lung purchase the outer courts of the townhouse to drive out the dirty commoners in Chapter 30?

5. For whom does Wang Lung buy a coffin for also when he purchases one for O-lan in Chapter 26?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Wang Lung respond when he discovers his eldest son in Lotus's court in Chapter 24?

2. How is Lotus Flower described on the picture in the tea shop in Chapter 18?

3. What leads Wang Lung to send his eldest sons away to school in Chapter 17?

4. What does Wang Lung do in order to gain control over his uncle and his family in Chapter 28?

5. How does Wang Lung's family go about relocating to the city in Chapter 29? Who is the last to leave the land?

6. How is Lotus's arrival at Wang Lung's home described in Chapter 20? Who is present for her arrival?

7. What decision does Wang Lung make regarding his second-eldest son in Chapter 25?

8. What is significant about Wang Lung's uncle's revelation that he is associated with the redbeards in Chapter 23?

9. What causes the flooding in Chapter 27? How does the flooding impact Wang Lung's village?

10. Who looks after the arrangement of Wang Lung's second son's marriage in Chapter 29? How are the arrangements described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of inequality in The Good Earth. What setting reflects this theme the most? How? What do you think is the cause of the inequality seen in the novel? Has inequality been resolved in China? In what ways?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the plot structure of The Good Earth. Where does the exposition transition to rising action? Where does the climax take place? What are the conflicts that the protagonist faces in the climax? How are these conflicts resolved in the denouement?

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?

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