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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. Where does Maxine's aunt deliver her baby?

2. What does Maxine question about her mother's stories?

3. When Maxine re-tells the story of her aunt, the narrator's story shows that the aunt's final actions are done out of _____.

4. Who is Kuan Kung?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens to the baron's family after the woman beheads the baron?

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

4. What bothers the narrator the most about the mentally retarded man who comes and sits in the laundry?

5. What did the narrator's term "FOBs" stand for?

6. Why does Moon Orchid hesitate to go see her husband in America?

7. After reading this section of the novel, do you think the narrator's mother's stories leave a strong impression on her daughter?

8. What are three of the gifts Moon Orchid brings her family from China?

9. How does Moon Orchid's husband react when he sees her?

10. Describe a common practice the narrator mentions that is used to kill baby girls after birth in China.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

A significant portion of this novel deals with storytelling and ghost stories, many of which are told by the narrator's mother. Choose and answer two of the following questions.

1) Do you think the narrator's mother's stories are mostly true? Explain why or why not using specific examples.

2) Why does the narrator's mother tell these stories? Do you think she achieves her purpose in telling them?

3) Which of these stories is your favorite? Explain why or why not. The story you choose must be one the narrator's mother tells, and must not be one you use to answer the other question you choose.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, the narrator and her mother have dynamic interactions with one another and an intense relationship. Use the following questions as a guide to craft an essay that describes the narrator's relationship with her mother throughout the novel. Your essay should have a thesis statement describing their relationship. Use the guiding questions to help craft support for your thesis.

Part 1) Compare and contrast the narrator and her mother. Note their similarities and differences, and give examples to support your claims.

Part 2) Choose one way in which the narrator's mother strongly influences the narrator in the novel. Describe the influence, give at least one example of it and explain how it affects the narrator.

Part 3) With whom do you sympathize while reading the novel, the narrator or her mother? Explain and support your choice.

(see the answer keys)

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