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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 are the invitees to Bao-yu's birthday party?

2. What does Xi-feng's leadership bring to the Ning house?

3. What does Bao-yu pick at Qin Zhong about while staying at the temple?

4. How many people does Bao-yu share the romantic/erotic stories with?

5. When Dai-yu hears one of Bao-yu's romantic stories, she becomes _____.

Short Essay Questions

1. What superstition in Chapter 21 is shown to be false?

2. How does Patience show her loyalty to Xi-feng in Chapter 16?

3. Why does Aroma manipulate Bao-yu in Chapter 19?

4. How does Bao-yu show increasing maturity in his response to the quarrels among his female companions?

5. Why do the children move into the Prospect Garden?

6. What does the way the Jia family undertake preparations for Yuan-chun's visit show about their character when it comes to money?

7. How does the family express their bereavement of and Qin-shi's death to the public?

8. How does Xiang-yun's presence lead Bao-yu to think more highly of Bao-chai?

9. What is Shui Rong's impression of Bao-yu?

10. What is revealed about Xi-feng's character in the episode involving a servant woman bringing money to her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the ways the author illustrates the divide between poor classes and rich classes in the novel and the various grey areas surrounding that divide.

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the following characters and discuss his or her relationship with and impact upon Bao-yu.

• Xi-feng

• Aroma

• Qin-shi

• Qin Zhong

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of illness to the story? Discuss with at least three examples and why the author chooses to make these characters ill.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample