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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. How much yen does Llin have in the bank?

2. On his first day in Muji City, what is Liang Meng's reason for needing to return home so soon?

3. When Liang Meng and Manna meet alone in the city, whose poetry does he quote?

4. After a chief in the City Administration dies, what does Manna begin to do?

5. Why does Geng Yang ask Manna to come to his room?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Lin think an attempt to pay Shuyu or Bensheng for a divorce would fail?

2. How does Lin change the direction of his and Manna's relationship as his divorce seems less and less likely?

3. What draws and repels Manna and Liang Meng to and from each other?

4. Why is Lin ashamed that he asks Manna to share the cost of the bribe?

5. Since Manna and Lin broke up, what has Manna been doing to spite Lin? How does this reach its climax in Chapter 10?

6. Why won't Manna report her rape?

7. What makes Lin hesitate to divorce his wife?

8. How does Lin share Manna's feelings about Geng Yang?

9. Although a relationship between Manna and Liang Meng is Lin's idea, what is his attitude? Why?

10. Why is Manna hesitant to become engaged to Mai Dong before her graduation? What is their deciding factor in holding off their engagement?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ha Jin frequently uses animal imagery in reference to his characters. Write an essay discussing Ha Jin's tendencies of anthropomorphizing his characters and what significance his choices of animals hold for his characters.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the parallels between the characters and the political context of China. What do the characters represent about the evolving political organization of China? What role do Chinese politics play in the lives of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the narrative structure or "Waiting". Focus on the following:

- Its symmetry and organization.

- Its circular and recursive motion.

- Compare to traditional narrative structure (rising action, climax, falling action, etc.) and how "Waiting" breaks, uses, and redefines "structure".

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 975 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample