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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 happened during the very last time Bo ever saw his mother?

2. What procedure does Bui want to avoid if at all possible during the birth of her son?

3. What two armies forced the Vietnamese people to uproot their rice in order to plant jute?

4. How many young children are still in the home when Bo takes over most of the parenting?

5. What source does Thi NOT name among her childhood sources of knowledge about America?

Short Essay Questions

1. What event within her adolescence does Thi describe as "living the dream" "for an immigrant kid" (24)?

2. What is the strongest emotion Thi feels toward Bo toward the end of her adolescence?

3. How does the doctor respond to Thi's question about her child's birth?

4. For what purpose does Bui begin Chapter 2: "Rewind, Reverse" in a particular place and then change to a different era on the very next page?

5. How does Bui incorporate foreshadowing in her creation of The Best We Could Do?

6. Explain the nature of the present-day relationship between Bo and Ma.

7. Describe two different methods Thi uses to address her problems with Bo.

8. What lesson does Thi learn through undertaking a major change in 2006?

9. What event causes a very young Bo to mentally disown his father?

10. What food always brings comfort to Thi and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how and why Bui instills three different humanist messages into the narrative of The Best We Could Do.

Essay Topic 2

What message does Bui send within the pages of The Best We Could Do concerning the link between communication and emotional closeness?

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Bui’s memoir The Best We Could Do. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the memoir.

(see the answer keys)

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