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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 is suffering from a mysterious sickness at the end of Chapter 10?

2. What is the name of the Chinese town the story line switches too after the Taoist changes his name?

3. They reach the Ford of Error where Bao-yu finds himself being pulled into _____.

4. At the birthday party in Chapter 11, what does much of the conversation center on?

5. Who does Jia Rui nearly sleep with accidentally?

Short Essay Questions

1. Is the fact that Dai-yu is offered flowers last in Chapter 7 a reasonable reflection of her status in the house at that time?

2. How does the author make it clear in Chapter 1 that the reader should expect an element of the supernatural in the novel?

3. How is the divide between rich and poor developed in Chapter 2?

4. In what way does Dai-yu express her jealousy and somewhat obsessive attitude towards Bao-yu in the beginning of Chapter 9?

5. Although the Jia family throws a spectacular birthday party for Jia Jing even though he refuses to leave the monastery to attend, much of the conversation centers on Qin-shi's puzzling illness. Hypothesize as to why this is.

6. Hypothesize over the influence Bao-yu's father has on him despite his consistently disapproving attitude towards Bao-yu.

7. What can be understood from the events surrounding the situation at the school in regard to other school children making fun of the boys of the Jia clan?

8. Upon their first meeting, do Bao-yu and Dai-yu feel a connection with each other? If so, how is it shown?

9. In what ways are fear of shame and being poor seen in Chapter 6?

10. How does the story of Jia Rui teach a lesson about undue lust?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the relationship between "real" and "fantastic" worlds in the novel with a particular focus on The Land of Illusion and what influence it brings upon the main story.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the central dramatic device of the novel, the love triangle between Bao-yu, Dai-yu and Bao-chai, and how it is used to generate conflict and drama and to maintain the reader's interest.

Essay Topic 3

What is the author's reasoning behind having such a large number of important and clearly defined characters? Illustrate your answer with examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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