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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. What is De-hong's chief job at the Public Affairs Department?

2. What does Mao do to "smoke out the dissidents"?

3. Why are the Governor's wives unable to bear children?

4. What does Dr. Xia's oldest son do after his father beats him for being disrespectful about Yu-Fang?

5. What does Wang Yu do during their journey that disillusions De-hong about their marriage?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Chang Shou-yu so willing to spend money on books and toys during the famine instead of the food they need?

2. What did Chang Shou-yu do to show his growing love for his family that makes De-hong call him a "silly old thing"?

3. How does Dr. Xia's oldest son show his disdain for his father's new wife?

4. What is De-hong allowed to do to help the Communist movement?

5. What does a neighbor woman tell Er-hong that confuses her about the political views she has been taught?

6. After all the other groups that took up occupancy in China, the Communists did something that was surprising to the Chinese people. What was this?

7. Why was Yang Ru-shan in need of more money?

8. How do Fang-Yu and Dr. Xia meet?

9. Why does Dr. Xia give potions to all of the Governor's wives when he knows that the Governor is the one who is infertile.

10. What does De-hong see a friend's husband do on their journey that makes her lose faith in her own marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are some major differences between the Chinese culture and our own culture? How would this story have been different had it taken place in America? How did the Chinese setting affect the plot of the book?

Essay Topic 2

What happens to Jung on the train, and what effect does this have on her? Why was this so surprising?

Essay Topic 3

When Dr. Xia treats the Governor, he has to trick him. How does he do this? Why does he do this? What was his reward for treating and healing the Governor?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 674 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample