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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. How does Uncle Ming pay for his car repairs in Part I?

2. What does Jason tell Mia his father told him about China?

3. What is one secret Mia keeps from Lupe about the hotel?

4. What does Mia fondly remember an old man in China giving her on her way home from school?

5. What is the name of Mia's new elementary school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Hank Caleb tell Mia about Mr. Yao when she first meets Hank?

2. What does Mr. Yao tell Mia is the difference between a good employee and a bad employee?

3. What is the school principal's reaction to find out Mia speaks English when she meets Mia for the first time?

4. What happens when Mr. Yao makes Jason work at the front desk for a while?

5. Why does Mia's mother get fired from her job at the Chinese restaurant in Part I?

6. What conclusion does Mia come to about the profitability of the Calivista Motel?

7. What happens that causes a great stir at the motel in Chapter 21?

8. What is Mia's mother's tradition of "taking a picture" at happy or significant moments?

9. What does Uncle Li tell Mia and her parents about his work experience that shocks them?

10. Why do Mia's parents refuse to let her help them clean at the motel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is it such a shock for Mia to receive Shen's letter and learn that Shen's family seems to have moved into the upper-class back in China? How does this news make Mia feel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 2

More than anything else, hearing the immigrants' stories who come to stay at the Calivista Motel makes Mia aware of the vulnerability of many Chinese immigrants in America. Write an essay exploring the different ways in which the immigrants detail their experiences of exploitation, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does Jason's behavior at the end of the book, when he tells Mia his father is bluffing about having another buyer for the motel, surprise Mia, redeem Jason in her eyes, and save Mia's family from making a terrible, irreversible mistake? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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