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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. What happens when the Japanese Federations of Labor workers' strike is broken?

2. When Char Nyuk Tsin celebrates her 100th birthday, how many of her great-great-grandchildren attend the party?

3. What happens to Hashimoto (a friend of Kamejiro's) after he marries a Hawaiian girl?

4. When Mun Ki is diagnosed with leprosy and sent to the leper colony on Molokai, accompanied by his pregnant wife, Char Nyuk Tsin, what do the two of them find there?

5. Why do Japanese men in Hawaii want to join the U.S. military in 1942?

Short Essay Questions

1. Is Nyuk Tsin's strategy of buying up losing properties from their major competition, the Fort, a smart business move? Why or why not?

2. When Sheong Mun, the granddaughter of Nyuk Tsin, asks her family for permission to marry a white sailor, and for their blessing, how does the family react?

3. In Chapter 6, Kelly Kanakoa is a surfer and musician who works as a beach boy. When he falls for Smith graduate Elinor Henderson, he takes her home to meet his mother, Malama Kanakoa. What does he think Elinor and his mother have in common?

4. In 1880, when relatives refuse to let young Whip Hoxworth join the family business because of his wild ways, what do they give to him instead, and what does he do with their gift?

5. In 1868, Mun Ki is eager to return to China with his four sons and his wife, Nyuk Tsin, when his work contract ends. Why would such a return effectively separate Nyuk Tsin from her sons?

6. In 1952, as soon as 106-year-old Nyuk Tsin hears that it is legal for an Asian to become a U.S. citizen, she tries to learn to read and write so that she can pass the test. When she can't meet that requirement, what compromise is reached?

7. During the early days of World War II, how does a war-bond speech made by Hong Kong Kee end up causing him to loan the money that enables Kamejiro to open a grocery store?

8. Later in 1946, in the Japanese city of Yokahama, what does Shigeo notice about the involvement of women in the city's clean-up effort, and why does it seem unfair?

9. In the early 1920s, the Japanese workers in Hawaii stage a strike to protest low wages and poor working conditions, but the strike is broken. What outcome does the strike have for Kamejiro, whose friend Ishii-san organized it?

10. Army captain Shigeo Sakagawa marches in a victory parade in Honolulu in 1946, but the occasion is a bittersweet one for him. He and his country have won the war, but Shigeo has suffered a great personal loss. What is it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the character of Char Nyuk Tsin. What were her most admirable traits? What traits made her life more difficult? How does Michener use her as a lens through which to view the changes in Hawaii between the 1860's and the 1950's?

Essay Topic 2

In her 100th year, Nyuk Tsin offers the following piece of advice to her grandson, Hong Kong Kee: "If someone wants to hurt you, keep him off balance. Make him take the first step toward you, for then you can watch him coming and take precautions." Discuss how this advice applies to decisions that Nyuk Tsin has made during her long life.

Essay Topic 3

How did the geographic isolation of Hawaii affect its history, from the time of King Tamatoa's arrival in the 9th century through its annexation by the United States in 1898?

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