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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who watches out for the narrator?
(a) The bus driver and ferry hands.
(b) The older brother.
(c) Hélène Lagonelle.
(d) The younger brother.

2. Whose wasteful lifestyle contributes to the family's poverty?
(a) The mother.
(b) The father.
(c) The older brother.
(d) The narrator.

3. In the beginning of the story, the narrator appears old and "ravaged." During what age period is it noted that her most rapid aging took place?
(a) 30 to 40.
(b) 18 to 25.
(c) 15 to 19.
(d) 25 to 30.

4. Which item is NOT a part of the ensemble worn by the narrator?
(a) Lace gloves.
(b) Gold lamé shoes.
(c) A man's belt.
(d) A man's hat.

5. In which city does the family reside while living in Chochichina?
(a) Can Thoa.
(b) Bien Hoa.
(c) Sadec.
(d) Saigon.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the novel, who does the mother favor?

2. How does the younger brother die?

3. The lover comments that it is rare to see a white girl ________.

4. What does the mother equate the narrator's awakening sexuality with?

5. After the father's death, what happens to the family property the mother invests in ?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the narrator's relationship with her family later in life?

2. Why does the narrator find the lover uncovered in front of her family?

3. In segment 14, according to the narrator, what evolved over a period of about seven years?

4. How does the mother feel about the education of her children? How do they act in return?

5. Since the family's wealth is tied up in the land investments, how does the mother provide income for the family? How does the income benefit the family?

6. Is the narrator in control of the relationship with the lover, through its beginning to the end?

7. Why does the mother consider writing, in regards to a career for the narrator, to be unconscionable?

8. What becomes of the older brother after the narrator's family moves back to France?

9. Describe the older brother's behavior toward the lover.

10. What does the relationship do to the couple with reference to society?

(see the answer keys)

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