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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. For what infraction did the policeman on the boxcar want to arrest Andrew?

2. Where did Andrew's father tape the newspaper article that he saved for over a decade?

3. Which of the following is a rumor that spread rampantly about Ho Chi Minh after his death?

4. What was Andrew most looking forward to at his grandpa's memorial?

5. What occupation had Chi undertaken during her years on the street?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened when the police stopped Andrew on the cargo train to Hanoi?

2. Which of Andrew's siblings were gay, and how did his family react to this?

3. How did Chi's life change during her fourteen years on the streets?

4. What type of relationship did Trieu have with her birth father, the colonel?

5. What memories does Andrew have about the way his family made money in Vietnam?

6. Why was Andrew's father arrested when he was a teenager?

7. What trouble did Andrew get into in Vietnam for drinking Coca-Cola?

8. What did Andrew and Chi talk about during their last conversation, before Chi killed herself?

9. What regrets did Andrew's father carry with him throughout his adult life?

10. Why wasn't Andrew allowed to board the commuter train from Muong Man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the prologue of the novel, the reader learns that Andrew's sister has died. First, describe the nature of the sister's death and explain how this death affected Andrew. In what ways did this death motivate Andrew to make changes in his own life? In your opinion, did the death have a positive or negative impact on Andrew? How can you tell? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Although he did his best to support his family, Andrew's father was riddled with guilt and regrets as he aged. First, choose two behaviors / events / emotions that Andrew's father regrets and describe them here. Then, using the previous examples, explain how one person's regret can affect and shape and entire family. How was this the case within the Pham family? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

The time Andrew's family spent in the Indonesian refugee camp clearly had an impact on Andrew's upbringing. First, describe the setting of the refugee camp and the conditions in which Andrew and his family were forced to live. Then, choose one dramatic moment from refugee camp life that greatly impacted Andrew as a child. As a reader, how can you see this event affecting Andrew through adulthood? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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