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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. Who does Lin believe is the key player in making his divorce successful?

2. Who is Lin's new roommate when he gets tuberculosis?

3. Why do Lin's comrades object to his long, parted in the middle hairstyle?

4. At the holiday banquet, what does Lin warn Manna not to do so much?

5. Why can't anyone play cards as the people in Lin's dream do?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Lin change the direction of his and Manna's relationship as his divorce seems less and less likely?

2. Why is Lin ashamed that he asks Manna to share the cost of the bribe?

3. How is Manna extremely selfish in the beginning of Chapter 7?

4. Why is Manna more embarrassed than heartbroken at Commissar Wei's rejection?

5. What is the relationship Manna Wu invents between Lin Kong and Pinging Ma? Why does Manna think Pingping is more appealing to Lin than she is?

6. Why does Manna help Lin put dust covers on his books?

7. Since Manna and Lin broke up, what has Manna been doing to spite Lin? How does this reach its climax in Chapter 10?

8. What does Lin's daydream about the nurses say about him?

9. Why is Lin's response to "Leaves of Grass" peculiar to his usual tendencies towards literature?

10. After Lin begins to try in earnest to divorce Shuyu, what are the new dilemmas that arise?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Through the book, Lin ponders "love" and questions his understanding of it. Respond to the following questions:

- What does Lin think "love" is?

- What does "love" mean to Lin?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Ha Jin's use of youth, age, and death. How do they define characters in the eyes of others? What affect does it have on narrative, imagery, and relationships of "Waiting?"

Essay Topic 3

Tradition, rules, and standards sometimes play the most pivotal role in the relationships in "Waiting." Write an essay about the characters' multifaceted relationships with these obstacles.

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