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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 was the sound that Shen Fu associated with cranes flying around in the air when he was a child?

2. What was the favorite flower of Shen Fu during this part of the book, at least?

3. What should a person use to strengthen a plant when the stem begins to fall over, according to Shen Fu's instructions?

4. To show the small in the large, one can plant ____________ in a corner as it will grow tall and strong and quickly.

5. Shen Fu was disgusted by the ________ of his friends, which is why he decided to leave the post at which he was stationed.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Shen Fu describe doing when he was a child when he was lying on the grass?

2. What did Yun's family laugh at her for which made her sheepish in the days leading up to her wedding with Shen Yu?

3. What else did Yun teach herself to do, according to the description from Shen Fu in the story?

4. Why do Shen Fu and Yun want to be reincarnated to be with each other in their next life? What do they hope to achieve?

5. Why does the teacher send Shen Fu home in order to write his compositions for school, according to the book?

6. What does Shen Fu's education prepare him to be, which is a disappointment to his family as the reader learns in the story?

7. What does Shen Fu try to describe about the potting and the arrangement of flowers?

8. How would the Pavilion of the Waves' Lotus Lovers' Hall be described, according to the book?

9. Why does the book become a national favorite for those who read it as the times of the day in China were much different?

10. What are the other two favorite flowers of Shen Fu, which he describes in the story according to the way he arranges them and pots them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shen Fu and Yun met as children, and began their love affair from that point on, rarely leaving each other's side.

Part 1: Do you think it's healthy for a couple to rarely leave the other's side?

Part 2: How do you think Shen Fu and Yun can continue to enjoy the company of the other person?

Part 3: Do you want to be married or partnered with a person who always wants to be with you?

Essay Topic 2

Shen Fu considers himself to be a lucky person since he has been able to travel to far off places during his life.

Part 1: Why do you think it's important for a person to travel away from home?

Part 2: Do you like to travel to new places? What has been your favorite experience?

Part 3: How do you think a person changes when they are able to experience new things in their life?

Essay Topic 3

As she is dying, Yun talks to her husband about how she asked for too much in her life and lived like a goddess when she was with him.

Part 1: Do you think it's possible to ask for too much from life?

Part 2: Why do you think Yun feels guilty, or so it seems, about the way her life has been so good to her?

Part 3: How do you think you would respond if someone spoke to you like this?

(see the answer keys)

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