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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does the narrator get her dresses?
(a) From her mother's castoff dresses.
(b) From a boutique.
(c) From Paris.
(d) From a second-hand store.

2. What type of stores does the narrator often visit?
(a) Twice-discounted clothing stores.
(b) Grocery stores.
(c) Writing supplies stores.
(d) Lingerie stores.

3. About how old is the older brother when the mother dies?
(a) 40.
(b) 45.
(c) 35.
(d) 50.

4. What subject does the narrator excel in?
(a) Chinese.
(b) Literature.
(c) Mathematics.
(d) French.

5. Where does most of the mother's income go?
(a) To paying the brother's debt.
(b) To pay the workers on the family's land.
(c) To pay for the narrator's schooling.
(d) To buy dresses and jewelry for the mother.

Short Answer Questions

1. After the father's death, the mother is in control of the family's finances. She consequently mismanages the money, leaving the family poor. What did the mother buy that resulted in the loss of the family's wealth?

2. Who dies prior to the novel's narration?

3. Around what time is the novel narrated?

4. Who drives a Citroën B12?

5. How does the younger brother die?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the sequence of events that lead up to the narrator meeting the lover.

2. On occasion, when the mother would emerge from her depression, she would instruct the house to be cleaned. How would the family respond and why do you think they would feel this way?

3. What is the relationship between the mother and Dô, and what does it indicate?

4. Who is the Lady from Savana Khet and why is her story put in segment 15?

5. The lover makes a comment about the narrator's method of transportation. What is it...why is it strange... and what does it indicate?

6. Describe the mother's behavior toward her daughter's conduct during the height of her relationship with the lover in segments 15 and 16.

7. What becomes of the older brother after the narrator's family moves back to France?

8. Why is the ferry crossing right before the narrator meets the lover considered her perfect moment in time?

9. In segment 14, according to the narrator, what evolved over a period of about seven years?

10. How does the lover feel about the narrator at the end of the relationship?

(see the answer keys)

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