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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In a letter to the narrator after high school, what sport does the younger brother say he has taken up?

2. Why can't the narrator turn to her family for support in her isolation?

3. What has happened to the narrator over the course of the relationship?

4. How many husbands has the mother had?

5. In segment 14, what does the narrator begin to flaunt while she is still in school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although the colony of Chochinchina is a French colony, it is far removed from France. Explain the differences in the colony of Chochinchina and France as seen through the life of the narrator and her family. Do the differences have anything to do with the shift in time periods? Does life change for the narrator simply because she is no longer under the rule of her dysfunctional family?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the early life of the narrator with the later life of the narrator. How does the narrator change? How do her circumstances and family life change? Are there any characteristics of the narrator that remain unchanged from her early life into her later life? What aspects of the narrator's personality does she carry with her throughout life?

Essay Topic 3

Portraits and photography are widely talked about and referred to in this novel. Identify points in the novel where photographs are described and the metaphors used with the photographs. Why is this such a key element within the novel? What are the similarities between professional photography and real life? What are the differences? How do the narrator and her mother feel about photography?

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