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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. Why is De-hong so afraid of having a poor speech given about her husband at his funeral?

2. What does the doctor arrange for De-hong to have while she is sick with hepatitis?

3. What does the Tings' fall from grace mean for the people?

4. How is Jung able to come back to Chengdu when she thought she would be stuck at the work farm?

5. What was the special broadcast about on September 9, 1976?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why won't Chang Shou-yu help Jung get into the university?

2. Why does Jung not want to get well when she falls ill at the country camp?

3. What is peculiar about the men who come to arrest Chang Shou-yu that shows how powerful Mao and his young leaders have grown?

4. Why was Specs turned down for a promotion?

5. What happened to Yu-Fang before she died?

6. How does Jung feel about Mao's death?

7. Why does Er-hong walk away from the Red Guard when they confront one of her philosophy teachers?

8. What happens to Chang Shou-yu after he is released from prison?

9. What does the cook do for De-hong while she is sick with hepatitis?

10. What happens when some students who had rounded up dissident teachers ask De-hong for guidance on what to do next?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Yang Ru-shan do to earn money, and why does he need the money so badly? What are the long lasting effects of this action? How does this action set the tone for the rest of the book?

Essay Topic 2

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 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)

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