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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 is revealed about Phoebe's feelings about her father in her soliloquy in ACT V: KUNG FU DAD"?

2. Why does Ming-Chen Wu tolerate the constant sexual harassment of Dorothy?

3. Why do Dorothy and Ming-Chen Wu end up renting a place to live at the Chinatown SRO?

4. What does Older Brother tell Green the protagonist is really asking for?

5. What recurring problem does Dorothy face when she is younger?

Short Essay Questions

1. What observations about family life does Yu make in the section "GENERIC ASIAN KID"?

2. What does the protagonist come to understand about his father in the book's final "Act"?

3. What is the double-meaning of "learning time" in "ACT V: KUNG FU DAD"?

4. What is Older Brother's purpose in introducing People v Hall?

5. When Dorothy and Ming-Chen Wu first meet, Dorothy asks him "Now that you've found me, what do you have to say for yourself?" (132) What is his response, and what is its significance?

6. What causes the protagonist to finally go in search of his family?

7. What happens to Ming-Chen Wu when he finally gets the role of Sifu?

8. On page 188, the script notes that Karen and Phoebe's show is "a cartoon. Sort of." In what sense is this both literally and figuratively true?

9. What happens to Ming-Chen Wu's friend Allen after he becomes a success in the United States?

10. What is the structural purpose of telling the story of Ming-Chen Wu and Dorothy right before the protagonist starts his relationship with Karen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do some research on the terms "late capitalism" and "commodification" as they relate to postmodernism. When you have a strong understanding of these terms, write a thesis-driven essay that applies them to Yu's Interior Chinatown. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text and to cite any outside references in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write a thesis-driven essay in which you analyze the ambitions of Willis Wu. What are his ambitions, and where do they come from? At what point do his ambitions cease being merely about wanting material security (a safe and comfortable place to live, enough food to eat, etc.) and start to be about something more intangible (ego, status, etc.) Are these ambitions inherent in his personality, or are his ideas about success derived from culture, family, or some other source? Be sure to provide textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you analyze what Interior Chinatown is saying about the "Black and White show" running in America. In what sense is this show allegorical, and what messages is it sending about America's tactics for dealing with race? Be sure to use textual evidence to support your claims.

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