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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 are the Chinese children doing while at school during the famine?

2. Why would a widowed woman kill herself before being married to a second husband?

3. How does Hui-ge accidentally cripple his own regiment?

4. Why is De-hong's wet nurses husband in jail?

5. Where are the people of China forced to eat during the famine?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Wang Yu not allow his wife to be transferred to a larger hospital when she is giving birth while sick with tuberculosis?

3. Why does Er-hong get the wrong idea about children in the West?

4. What happens to cause Dr. Xia to leave his children and his home?

5. Why is Mao encouraging "intellectuals" to challenge their leaders?

6. Why does De-hong live in a different house than her husband?

7. Why would a Japanese child deserve more respect than a Chinese man?

8. What was the first thing that attracted General Xue's attention to Fang-Yu?

9. Why was Yang Ru-shan's main duty in life to produce male heirs?

10. Why does Chang Shou-yu want to leave Yibin so soon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What makes De-hong change her mind about the Communist Party? When does this happen? Why is this so surprising?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Chang Shou-yu puts his political views over the welfare of his family many different times throughout the novel. What are some of those instances? How did his family react to this treatment? How did the public react to these actions? When did he change? Why did he change?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 562 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample