English 1
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Test Study Guide (80 point test)
I. 10 Multiple Choice Questions (2 points each)
* Know major events and characters
* Major characters: Narrator (Ma), Luo, Little Seamstress, Headsman, tailor, Four
Eyes, Fours Eyes’ mother, Old Miller, preacher, doctor
* three questions are from the background information found on the power point
Sample Questions:
____All of the following are true of the Old Miller EXCEPT:
A. spies on a young couple making love
B. unintentionally writes folk songs promoting communist beliefs
C. lives in poverty
D. seems unaffected by communist influence
E. refuses to cooperate with Four Eyes
____The “Lost Generation” in China refers to:
A. all of the teachers and professors imprisoned or killed
B. the Red Guards – young people brainwashed into working for Mao
C. the generation of Chinese peasants brainwashed by Mao’s cult of personality
D. the “re-educated” youth who were denied educational opportunities
E. all the victims of the “Great Leap Forward”
II. Passage Commentaries (choose four out five, 5 points each)
Remember to write about the details from the passage as well as linking the passage
to larger themes or other events.
III. Essay (40 points)
The essay will be on one of these topics:
* role of books and literature
* Who’s the main character?
* influence of historical background (communism and Mao) on book’s events