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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. When Hyeonseo's father rushes back into the burning house, what items does he emerge from the house carrying?

2. What document does a North Korean citizen need in order to even leave their local county?

3. When Hyeonseo heard the news that some local young women had been caught listening to South Korean pop music, what was their allocated punishment?

4. On what type of transport is Hyeonseo's mother traveling when she meets Hyeonseo's father?

5. What form of currency does Hyeonseo say is required for bribes and for the purchase of black market goods?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where is Hyeonseo's family's new house in Hyesan located after they move back from Anju?

2. What does the author claim is ironic about North Korea's beginnings as a communist state?

3. What are the two types of prison in the gulag?

4. What major rite of passage within North Korea's culture does Hyeonseo undergo when she is 14 years old?

5. What is ironic about the North Korean government's use of the term "people's trial" (27)?

6. What major world event does Hyeonseo say she and other North Koreans were completely ignorant of in the 1990s?

7. What does the author say is the reason that "kindness toward strangers is rare in North Korea" (38)?

8. When Hyeonseo's grandmother tells her the truth about her biological father and stepfather, what is Hyeonseo's response and what does she say that she should have done instead?

9. How is the theme of appearance versus reality demonstrated within the description of Hyeonseo's mother's behavior once her husband has been detained for ten days?

10. What is the "only permitted outlet for spiritual fervor" (41) in North Korea and what does the author say is the punishment for seeking out different means of spirituality?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose a symbolic object from the memoir, such as Hyeonseo's boots, the Big Mac, or the portrait of Kim Jong-il and discuss its overall meaning and connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 2

The memoir is littered with the use of sensory details to create a vivid picture of the many different places Hyeonseo finds herself once she has crossed the Yalu River into China. Discuss the author's purpose in including the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile sensations of Hyeonseo's experiences.

Essay Topic 3

How does the theme of compassion arising out of understanding emerge throughout the course of the narrative?

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