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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 does Christopher remember Uncle Philip's office?

2. What kind of person is the Banks's typical house guest in Shanghai?

3. How does Mrs. Banks respond to the health inspector's suggestion?

4. How does Christopher describe Miss Givens's smiles?

5. How does old Christopher recognize Wang Ku in the photograph?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Christopher's earliest encounters with Sarah like?

2. How does Christopher tend to remember his boyhood companion Akira?

3. How is Christopher's relationship with Mei Li transformed by his mother's abduction?

4. How does Miss Hemmings gain admittance to the Meredith Foundation dinner?

5. Describe the visit of the health inspector to Christopher's home in Shanghai.

6. Describe the game Christopher and Akira invent.

7. How does Christopher spend his time in the summer of 1923?

8. How does Sarah Hemmings treat Christopher at the Mayfair flat?

9. How is Christopher put in a difficult position when Uncle Philip suggests a trip to the racecourse?

10. What kinds of presents does Uncle Philip give Christopher when the boy comes to visit his office?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As a child Christopher revered the great Inspector Kung. As a grown man Christopher meets the Inspector and discovers he has become a disheveled old drunk. How is this a turning point for Christopher? How is Christopher's meeting with Kung a warning to him? How does it drive him forward?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Sir Cecil Medhurst? What does he represent to Christopher? How does his demise change the direction of Christopher Bank's future?

Essay Topic 3

What role does detection play in WHEN WE WERE ORPHANS? What inherent qualities in Christopher's character do you think lead him to this career choice? How do his family circumstances shape him as a detective?

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