View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When does Mother take the train home?

2. In "Urania: Astronomy," what does the narrator say she can do without?

3. What ritual occurs in the Opening?

4. What does the map at the beginning of "Melpomene: Tragedy" indicate?

5. How old is the speaker when her brother is killed?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Urania: Astronomy," how do pages and punctuation relate to the focus on breath?

2. In "Calliope: Epic Poetry," how does the narrator attempt to communicate with her mother?

3. In "Urania: Astronomy," why does the poetry appear in side-by-side translation?

4. Why is Mother born in Manchuria?

5. Describe the medical procedure in "Urania: Astronomy."

6. What is the significance of the italicized passages in the "Opening"?

7. What is Mother's MAH-UHM? Where is it trapped?

8. Although the text is written in English, many of the forms and structures Cha uses do not adhere to standards of American English. Some of the translation passages, in particular, seem to have a structure that evinces first-language influence. Do you think the translation passages were originally written in English? Why or why not?

9. What is happening in the opening passage of "Melpomene: Tragedy"?

10. According to the narrator of "Clio: History," why has everything been lost to the Japanese?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of the work's nine-part structure. How does Cha's invocation of a Muse in each chapter structure and order the work? What new layer of meaning does it lend the text? Is this choice effective in adding to the overall message of the work? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Cha plays with notions of space and place a great deal in this novel. She incorporates concrete locations--Manchuria, Seoul, Hawaii--as well as undefined spaces--the theater-like space, the village, the church. How does this play with space influence the work? Do we see multiple conceptions of space working together? Are there different epistemic constructions working simultaneously in this work? If so, how do these systems work together to strengthen Cha's work? If not, what is Cha doing with space in the work?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the work, Cha incorporates visual elements, such as photographs, copies of letters, reproductions of charts, and Korean characters to enhance her project. Discuss the significance of these visual components. How do they influence the experience of reading the book? How do they contribute to Cha's overall message? How would the book be different if she had not included them?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 868 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample