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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. Bo says that eventually, the land reforms resulted in the deaths of how many people?

2. Who takes over caring for Bo's grandmother when Thi's family plans an escape?

3. Bo describes Thai Binh as "deep" what "territory" (164)?

4. Chapter 8, entitled "The Shore" begins in what type of setting?

5. How old was Bo when he went to see his father in the North?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the policies of the Communist party affect the Bui family?

2. What extreme action do Bo and Hai take in order to keep Hai's children quiet during the escape?

3. In what year does Bo arrive in Saigon for the first time and to which of Thi's own experiences does she visually compare the moment in Bo's life?

4. What two poses does Thi use to depict her childhood sketches of Ma?

5. One day a box arrives at the Bui home and it is from Vietnam. What is contained inside?

6. What do the glamorous photographs of Ma symbolize to Thi during her childhood?

7. How does Bui visually depict the many different perspectives about April 30, 1975?

8. What new law is one that Ma is unwilling to follow?

9. What objects do the Communists consider to be "capitalist filth" (220)?

10. What is the meaning of the term "nguy" (221)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the characterization methods used by Bui in depicting her father Bo and include in your discussion the reasons that Bui portrays Bo in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 2

Provide a thorough analysis of the ways in which the visual elements of the memoir amplify its emotional messages.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the resolution stage of The Best We Could Do and write about its overall meaning within the text. How does Bui make connections between the resolution and the text’s major thematic messages?

(see the answer keys)

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