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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 insists on being allowed to visit Qin-shi's body after her death?

2. Xi-feng's infant daughter becomes ill with _____.

3. What gift does Shui Rong give to Bao-yu?

4. What addiction does Dai-yu discover of Bao-yu's?

5. Who dies at the end of Chapter 16?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways are Bao-yu's intellectual abilities displayed in the events surrounding Yuan-chun's visit?

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

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

4. How do the servants of the house react to Qin-shi's death?

5. For what reason(s) might Bao-yu have become discontented living in the Prospect Garden?

6. What does Bao-yu add to the book he is reading, and how does Dai-yu respond?

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

8. Discuss Yuan-chun's reaction upon her first visit home.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss whether the use of symbolism in the novel is effective. Make reference to the stone of the title and at least two other examples from the text.

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

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.

(see the answer keys)

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