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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 does the protagonist think about telling Turner the truth about?

2. When the protagonist first tells his father that he is working with Green and Turner, how does his father react?

3. What does Bonnie Tsui say represents "the ambiguous Asian everywhere" (iv)?

4. Why does Young Fong get cast in villain roles?

5. Who is the protagonist of Interior Chinatown?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do people say that Older Brother should have helped Sifu more?

2. What about Older Brother's looks make him appealing to non-Asian audiences?

3. How does the protagonist feel when he sees his father working in the kitchen, and why?

4. What offensive remark does Turner make when the protagonist threatens to go back to the restaurant, and what happens afterward?

5. What ultimately happened to Older Brother?

6. Describe the interior of the Golden Palace.

7. Why did the protagonist's father and Older Brother have a falling out, and what does the detectives' reaction demonstrate about them?

8. What are the emotional complexities of the memories attached to the protagonist's mother's scars?

9. When Green takes the protagonist's side in his argument with Turner, what does Turner say about both the protagonist's and Green's reactions?

10. What do the memories the protagonist has about his mother and food demonstrate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an analysis of the significance of the history of Chinatown in this novel. How does the inclusion of this history impact the novel's action and the characters' motivations, and what is its role in developing the themes of the novel? Support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write a thesis-driven essay in which you analyze the function of the quotes that precede the various acts. What ideas do they focus on? Who are their authors, and why does it matter? Why include them at all? Be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Willis's ambitions are entirely circumscribed by the world of Chinatown. And yet, to go outside of Chinatown to find better opportunities would mean leaving behind a significant part of himself. To what extent does American culture demand that a person give up primary loyalty to their heritage in exchange for success? Does this happen to everyone, or only to those in certain groups? Is there a logical way around this problem, or is it just one of the harsh realities that some people have to face? Write an essay in which you explore how this motif is developed within the novel and then make a claim about how well this represents modern-day America. Be sure to back claims in both sections of your essay with strong evidence and warrants, and remember that anecdotes about individuals are not evidence--evidence about social phenomena comes from studies of groups, not from individual cases. Cite all sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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