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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. Who does the girl meet at the top of the mountain?

2. According to Chinese custom, where would Maxine's mother and aunt have lived after their husbands left?

3. Who is Kuan Kung?

4. Why does Maxine re-tell her aunts story?

5. What does Maxine's aunt do after delivering her baby?

Short Essay Questions

1. As an adult, why does the narrator refuse to cook, clean, or wash dishes?

2. Describe the events leading up to the narrator's mother's decision to become a doctor.

3. According to Moon Orchid, which of Brave Orchid's children are happy?

4. Why do you think the narrator feels that her American success is sometimes useless? Give an example to support your position.

5. What are at least two of the most difficult things on the narrator's list that she tells her mother?

6. In "White Tigers," who does the woman feel is riding with her while she is with her army?

7. How does the narrator feel about Brave Orchid's relationship with the slave girl?

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

9. What do Brave Orchid's daughters learn from watching what happens between Moon Orchid and her husband?

10. In "White Tigers," describe the return of the girl, now a young woman, to her village.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A large part of the novel describes the narrator's childhood.

Part 1) Explain at least two of the secrets the narrator has to keep during her childhood. How do you think these secrets affected the narrator's personal and social life?

Part 2) Why do you think the Chinese American children are warned about immigration growing up? Explain what fears immigrants had during the time period of the novel's setting, and how these fears relate to the events of the novel as a whole.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the narrator's relationship with the quiet girl at school, particularly their interactions. Why do you think the narrator picks on the quiet girl? What do the narrator's actions reveal about her upbringing and her opinions about herself?

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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