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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. Why does Wang Lung's eldest son say he hates his cousin in Chapter 27?

2. How much money does Wang Lung pay Ching as steward on Wang Lung's farm in Chapter 17?

3. Who is the "great red girl" that Lotus describes at the tea shop in Chapter 23?

4. What do Wang Lung and all of the farmers in his village share?

5. What does Wang Lung's aunt say Lotus "reeks of" when she helps her into her chambers in Chapter 20?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Wang Lung do in preparation for Lotus's arrival at his home in Chapter 20? How is his behavior affected?

2. Who looks after the arrangement of Wang Lung's second son's marriage in Chapter 29? How are the arrangements described?

3. How does Wang Lung perceive his family and children in Chapter 17?

4. How is Lotus's arrival at Wang Lung's home described in Chapter 20? Who is present for her arrival?

5. What causes Wang Lung to become restless in Chapter 18?

6. How does Wang Lung's family go about relocating to the city in Chapter 29? Who is the last to leave the land?

7. What leads Wang Lung to send his eldest sons away to school in Chapter 17?

8. How does Wang Lung respond when O-lan warns him of his eldest son visiting Lotus in Chapter 24?

9. What does Wang Lung's young cousin do that causes conflict in Wang Lung's house in Chapter 31?

10. Whom does Lotus suggest to Wang Lung for an arranged marriage for his son in Chapter 23?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the meaning of and the role of family in The Good Earth. What does “family” mean to Wang Lung? How do you think the concept of family is different in the novel from within your own culture? Why do you think it is different?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Wang Lung’s sons in the narrative. How are they similar? How are they different? What does Wang Lung expect from each of his sons? Who defies Wang Lung? How?

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think the author has chosen to relate the narrative of The Good Earth from a third-person narrator? How would the story differ if it were related from Wang Lung’s point of view? Is the narrator’s perspective limited or omniscient and how does this affect the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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