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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. How did the narrator's father die?

2. What is the revue that Lana performs for in Chapter 14?

3. When did Chairman Mao die?

4. Who does the commandant refer to as "our greatest revolutionary poet" in Chapter 19?

5. Who is the commissar revealed to be in Chapter 19?

Short Essay Questions

1. What memory of his father's death does the narrator recall in Chapter 18?

2. What is revealed about the narrator's father's death in Chapter 22?

3. How is the commissar described when the narrator finally meets him in Chapter 19?

4. How is the theme of betrayal explored in Chapter 18?

5. What information does the narrator relate to Man in his letter in Chapter 13?

6. How does the admiral compare the plight of the troops to Jesus in Chapter 17?

7. How is Abe's story related in Chapter 13?

8. What does the narrator confess to Sonny before killing him? Why?

9. Why does Bon insist on returning to Vietnam for the General in Chapter 13?

10. Where are the narrator and Bon sent after leaving the prison in the end of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is life like for the Vietnamese refugees once they arrive in America? Where does the narrator secure assistance and work? How does he get Bon work? Where do the narrator and Bon live?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Lana in the novel. How old is Lana? Where does the narrator know Lana from? What risks does the narrator take in courting Lana?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the narrative and language styles of The Sympathizer. What is the framing device that is used to set up the story? From whose point of view is the story related? How would the novel differ if told from a different narrative style?

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