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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 Maxine add a word to boys' names?

2. Where does Maxine's aunt deliver her baby?

3. When Maxine's father leaves China, what country does he go to?

4. Who is Kuan Kung?

5. For how long does the girl agree to stay with the people she meets?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the title of the section, "Shaman," relate to the stories told in the section?

2. How do Moon Orchid and Brave Orchid act when they are reunited for the first time in years?

3. Why doesn't the narrator visit her parents often?

4. Describe a common practice the narrator mentions that is used to kill baby girls after birth in China.

5. Does the narrator's aunt haunt the narrator in this first section of the novel?

6. Do you think the narrator's aunt was a victim or an adultress? Explain why or why not.

7. Why did the narrator's mother did not mind girls cheating off of her in school?

8. In "White Tigers," explain how the girl knows time is passing in her visions.

9. What happens to the baron's family after the woman beheads the baron?

10. What do Brave Orchid's daughters learn from watching what happens between Moon Orchid and her husband?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This novel has several autobiographical elements, but we never learn if the narrator and the author are the same person.

Part 1) After learning about autobiographies in class, do you view this novel as an autobiography? Explain why or why not using at least three examples from the text to support your position.

Part 2) Do you think the author and the narrator are the same? Explain why or why not.

Essay Topic 2

In "White Tigers" the narrator explains a story about a girl who trains to become a woman warrior.

Part 1) Compare and contrast the narrator and the protagonist of the story.

Part 2) Do you think the narrator admires or despises the protagonist of the story? Explain your answer using examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the narrator's relationship with the quiet girl at school, particularly their interactions. Why do you think the narrator picks on the quiet girl? What do the narrator's actions reveal about her upbringing and her opinions about herself?

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This section contains 644 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample