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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. Who was waiting for Cheng when she was released from the detention house?

2. What size were Cheng's fingers when her handcuffs were removed?

3. What was the diagnosis for Cheng's condition when she was taken to the hospital in 1973?

4. How many days had Cheng been forced to wear handcuffs?

5. How old was Da De's girlfriend?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Cheng want done before she would leave the detention house?

2. What did Cheng find at the bookstore when she went looking for English textbooks?

3. What did Cheng discover when she went to the Shanghai Athletics Association building to learn more about Meiping's death?

4. Why wasn't China an egalitarian society?

5. What did a man read about Cheng's case before she was released?

6. After giving Cheng eggs in her food, what did the kitchen woman do to keep Cheng from thanking her?

7. How did Cheng tactfully decline Mr. Hu's proposal?

8. How did Cheng persuade an official to give her a passport application?

9. What opportunity did Cheng have when she was asked to answer questions about her relatives or friends?

10. What did Maoists think about individuals who may have made important scientific or artistic contributions to China's cultural life before the Communists came to power?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Da De sad that people were not free agents and that good people were sometimes forced to do bad things. Using examples from the book, explain why in China people were not free agents and why they were forced to do bad things.

Essay Topic 2

Argue whether the overall mood of the book is optimistic or pessimistic. Use examples from the book to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Using examples from the book, discuss why Cheng had mixed emotions about leaving China.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,063 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample