View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the two major crops in Peking during the heavy snowfall described in Huang's story?

2. How many males does T'an-ch'eng have to provide for forced labor at one time?

3. In "Hsi-liu," how old is the widow when she is forced to raise two sons on her own?

4. Who took over China in 1644?

5. When does an earthquake occur in the capital of the Northeast county in China?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of loot does the Manchu army take in 1643?

2. Describe the earthquake in T'ang-Ch'en in 1668.

3. Describe Huang Liu-hung's work as an official for the county.

4. How does Hsiao-erh save the the people in the village from drought and famine?

5. What is the pressure put on widows regarding marriage?

6. What is the temptation that arose from the complex Chinese legal code about marriage and widows?

7. What did Huang Liu-hung say about the peasant misery in the famine?

8. What is the story that P'eng's husband's relatives make up in order to attack Lien?

9. Describe what happens after the famine in T'ang-Ch'en in 1641.

10. How does a woman's rights compare to that of her son?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the Woman Wang. What was her role in the book? How does she relate to Jen? What was Spence trying to accomplish by describing the Woman Wang in the book?

Essay Topic 2

Freedom was a recurring theme in The Death of Woman Wang. Who was free? Who lacked freedom? What constricted freedom? How did Wang gain or lose freedom? Which authorities controlled access to freedom and in what ways? Did Wang need a purpose in life to be free? Discuss.

Essay Topic 3

Spence gives the example of the bandits who take over power in different parts of China. Who are the bandits? How are they violent? Why are people afraid of them? The bandits take over control and seize what they desire when they want it. What does this reveal about their nature? Are they sadistic? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 708 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample