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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 causes Wang Lung to become angry with Lotus in Chapter 21?

2. What does Wang Lung promise to the prostitute who has been visited by Wang Lung's son in Chapter 23?

3. Whom does Wang Lung order to arrange the matter of renting a house in town for his family to move to in Chapter 29?

4. How old is the daughter of the grain merchant that Wang Lung seeks for his eldest son's bride in Chapter 23?

5. When O-lan summons Cuckoo to her death bed in Chapter 26, she tells her that Cuckoo is what?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Wang Lung perceive his family and children in Chapter 17?

3. How does Wang Lung perceive Lotus's friendship with his aunt in Chapter 21?

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

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

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

7. What does Wang Lung do in preparation for Lotus's arrival at his home in Chapter 20? How is his behavior affected?

8. What does O-lan say regarding Cuckoo as she lays dying in Chapter 26?

9. How does Wang Lung respond when O-lan warns him of his eldest son visiting Lotus in Chapter 24?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the character of Lotus Flower in the novel. How old do you suppose Lotus is when her character is introduced? Where is she from? How does Lotus differ from O-lan? What attracts Wang Lung to Lotus?

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

Describe and analyze the character of Wang Lung as the protagonist of The Good Earth. How old is Wang Lung when his character is first introduced? How old is he when the novel ends? How does Wang Lung change in the course of the novel? What are Wang Lung’s main objectives in the story?

(see the answer keys)

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