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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What red article of clothing did Hyeonseo wear to school that caused the teacher to call her a capitalist and to slap her face?
(a) A hat.
(b) Boots.
(c) A scarf.
(d) Suspenders.

2. At what age does Hyeonseo witness her first public execution?
(a) Twelve.
(b) Seven.
(c) Nine.
(d) Fourteen.

3. With whom did Hyeonseo and Min-ho stay while their mother tended to their father in the Hyesan hospital?
(a) Uncle Cinema's family.
(b) Mr. Ahn's family.
(c) Uncle Opium's family.
(d) Aunt Pretty's family.

4. At what age does Hyeonseo first visit South Korea?
(a) 14.
(b) 32.
(c) 28.
(d) 20.

5. What border was Hyeonseo's father crossing when he was arrested?
(a) He was crossing from South Korea into North Korea.
(b) He was crossing from China into South Korea.
(c) He was crossing from North Korea into China.
(d) He was crossing from China into North Korea.

6. What quality of Hyesan does Hyeonseo say leads to its status as a moneymaking town?
(a) Its location across the Yalu River from China.
(b) Its proximity to Pyongyang.
(c) Its military status.
(d) Its merchant class.

7. Only members of which class are allowed to live in Pyongyang?
(a) Loyal.
(b) Elite.
(c) Hostile.
(d) Wavering.

8. When the Socialist Youth League performed work in the summer, they dug tunnels around Hyeonseo's school. What type of work did they engage in during the other three seasons that year?
(a) Economic.
(b) Journalistic.
(c) Architectural.
(d) Agricultural.

9. How old is Hyeonseo when the family's home catches on fire?
(a) 9.
(b) 13.
(c) 17.
(d) 24.

10. For what reason is Uncle Opium protected from investigation?
(a) Because he is rich.
(b) Because he lives off the grid.
(c) Because of his high songbun.
(d) Because his brother-in-law is related to the Kims.

11. During what activity does the author say is the only time she and her classmates called each other "comrade" (33)?
(a) Air raids.
(b) Meals.
(c) Morning prayers.
(d) Self-criticism sessions.

12. At what age are North Koreans forced to join the Socialist Youth League?
(a) 18.
(b) 14.
(c) 10.
(d) 12.

13. Hyeonseo's first memory consists of almost dying in what way?
(a) Almost getting hit by a train.
(b) Almost suffocating.
(c) Almost being beaten to death by a soldier.
(d) Almost drowning.

14. The author states that once she entered kindergarten, she never again belonged to her parents, but instead belonged to whom?
(a) Kim Jong-il.
(b) Kim Il-sung.
(c) Her future husband.
(d) The state.

15. In what season did Hyeonseo and her family move to the riverfront house in Hyesan?
(a) Summer.
(b) Autumn.
(c) Winter.
(d) Spring.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the rough translation of the North Korean ideological term juche?

2. How many gradations of status exist within the three broad categories of songbun?

3. What example is given of a person who would inhabit the lowest level of songbun?

4. What was the sentence given to the family deported for the father's mistake of rolling a cigarette using a piece of newspaper and failing to notice a picture of the Great Leader on the other side of the scrap?

5. When Hyeonseo and her family move back to Hyesan, they find that the city has changed in what way?

(see the answer keys)

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