Chu Ju’s House
Comprehension Questions
I.
Answer the following questions. All answers must be in complete
sentences.
A. Chapter 1
1. What special day is Chu Ju’s and her family celebrating? _Chu Ju and
her family are celebrating Tomb Sweeping Day.
2. What is another name for this day? _Others call this day “The Day of
Pure Brightness” ________________
3. What does this day represent for Chinese culture? _This day
represents respect towards ancestors. ___________________
4. What do Chinese families do on this day?
_Chinese families visit their ancestors’ tombs, bow down, take offerings,
light candles, and pray to their ancestors for wishes or favors.
5. What was Ba Ba’s job? _Baba’s job was being a barefoot doctor. _____
6. Why did Nai Nai dislike her granddaughter, Chu Ju?
_Nai Nai disliked Chu Ju because she was a girl.
7. What was Chu Ju’s family favor towards their ancestors? What would
that bring to their family? Chu Ju’s family favor to their ancestors was
for them to grant them a healthy baby boy to bring honor to the family.
8. What type of government did China have? _China’s government was
Communist. ____________
9. How many children could people in the city and in the country have?
__People in the city could have 1 child per family and people in the
country could only have two.
10. Why was the government restricting families to have children?
_The government was restricting children because they had too many
mouths to feed. ____________
11. How old was Chu Ju when Ye Ye died? _Chu Ju was seven years old
when Yei Yei died.
II.
Chapter 2
1. Who did they call to help Ma Ma give birth? What was her job?
_The woman they called was Auntie Tai Tai. Her job was being a
midwife.
2. What was Chu Ju’s only future growing up in China? Chu Ju’s only
future growing up was getting married, moving away from her family,
bearing children and attending housely duties.
3. After the baby was born, what was Ba Ba and Nai Nai planning to do
with the baby? After the baby was born, Ba ba and Nai Nai were
planning on giving away the baby so they could have another.
4. How old is Chu Ju? _Chu Ju was fourteen years old.
5. What was Chu Ju’s given name for the baby? _Chu Ju named the baby
Hua.
6. What was Chu Ju thinking of doing to protect her sister from being
taken away? _Chu Ju was thinking of running away and disappearing.
III.
Chapter 3
1. Which words did YeYe once say to Chu Ju that encouraged her to walk
beyond her courtyard?
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2. Where did Chu Ju hide to disappear from her family?
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3. What lie did Chu Ju tell the fisherman and his family?
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4. What was the family’s job?
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5. How was Chu Ju able to stay with the family on the boat?
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6. How long was Chu Ju able to stay with the family?
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7. When Chu Ju revealed her past, how did the family react to the news?
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8. What was the family going to do with Chu Ju on the following day?
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9. What did Chu Ju decide to do before they could take her back?
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