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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 does the enemy's leader, a prince, steal from the woman?

2. Why does Maxine add a word to boys' names?

3. In the white crane boxing story, what does the spirit of the white crane later become?

4. How many years has it been since Maxine's mother told the narrator the story of her aunt?

5. While working at the paint shop, what is the name of the color that offends Maxine?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Moon Orchid and Brave Orchid act when they are reunited for the first time in years?

2. What is narrator's impression of her mother when looking at the old medical school photograph?

3. Why might the narrator's mother call the narrator her biggest daughter instead of her oldest daughter?

4. What is one secret the narrator learns when she reads her sixth grade school file?

5. How does the title of the section, "Shaman," relate to the stories told in the section?

6. In "White Tigers," for what purpose do the woman and her husband have a one-month ceremony?

7. Who does the narrator believe is the crazy person in her home?

8. What is the reason the narrator's family tells ghost stories when the laundry gets too hot?

9. Why do you think the author emphasized that all of Brave Orchid's children majored in science and math?

10. Why does the narrator always add the word "brother" to boys' names?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The role of women in Chinese culture is a strong theme in the novel. Choose two of the following options to respond to.

1) What are some of the narrator's major concerns about how women are treated in Chinese culture? Describe at least three.

2) According to the narrator, is the role of a Chinese woman in America the same or different from the role of a Chinese woman in China? Explain why or why not.

3) Do you think the narrator is a traditional woman with respect to the Chinese culture? Explain why or why not.

Essay Topic 2

In "Shaman," the narrator says, "Before we can leave our parents, they stuff our heads like the suitcases which they jam-pack with homemade underwear."

Part 1) Explain the context of this quote. What is the narrator responding to when she makes this comment?

Part 2) Explain the meaning of this quote. What is the narrator trying to say?

Part 3) How does this quote relate to the narrator's life as a whole?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, there are many ghosts, imaginary beings and legendary characters in the narrator's mother's stories and the narrator's accounts of different stories. Choose three of these creatures and answer the following questions about each.

1) What story is this character a part of? What role does it have in the story?

2) What might the character symbolize?

3) How does the inclusion of this character impact the story?

4) How does the narrator feel about this character? Do you think the narrator believes it is real or imaginary?

(see the answer keys)

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