Test on Sky Burial

(In case you were not in class: Here is the take-home test on Sky Burial. See earlier posts for HW and Chapter 3 test.

Test On Sky Burial Due April 10 – English 162

Text questions: Please give complete detailed answers. (5 points each): (You may answer on this sheet or on a separate piece of paper; the test is open book; typed or handwritten answers are acceptable.)

1. What is the significance of the number: “560809” in the novel?

2. What are the two meanings of “Om mani padme hum” in the novel?

(Hint for one meaning see p.69)

3. What is the significance of the “holy mountains” in the story? What happens because of them?

4. What does Wen leave behind in Tibet? Why does she do this?

Combined questions. (Questions are combinations of text, reader experience and reader’s knowledge of the world) Choose any two; write one page minimum on each. Use examples from the text and your experience and knowledge if appropriate. (40 points each.)

1. Describe and discuss the scene when Wen saves Zhuoma from the soldiers. Why do you believe she does this? Why do the soldiers want to kill her? How do you believe you would react in the same situation and why?

2. Think about Wen’s quest (search) for her husband. Why does she initially go looking for him? In the end she does not find him, but instead finds out the truth about what happened to him. Considering all she goes through in her journey, do you believe her quest was ultimately a success or a failure? Pretend you are a friend of Wen’s. She comes to you for advice before leaving on her quest. What would you say to her?

3. Wen has difficulties adjusting to life with the nomadic family she lives with in Tibet whose customs and language is different from hers. Describe the stages she goes through in making this adjustment, including the changes she goes through after Zhuoma disappears. How well do you think she handles this adjustment? Have you ever been in a similar situation, adjusting to a new culture and language? If so, compare your experience to Wen’s.

4. We know that Wen was trained as a doctor in China. Once she leaves the army and is rescued by the Tibetan family, she no longer practices medicine. Why are her skills no longer needed? Give examples. Towards the end of the novel Wen does finally use her skills as a doctor to help deliver a child. Discuss the impact of this event on Wen, and her sense of identity and possibly her self-esteem. How important is the work you do in terms of how you and others see yourself? Explain.

5. Why do think the novel is named: “Sky Burial”? What is the significance of Kejun’s sky burial? What does it accomplish? Do you believe Kejun’s sacrifice was worthwhile in light of the continuing conflict in Tibet?

6. Write your own dense question and answer it using examples from the novel.

Websites on Tibet

Please post your website and your evaluation of your website and explanation of how you found it as a comment to this post. If you have difficulty, e-mail it to me and I will post it! (sradcliff@ohlone.edu) This assignment is 50% of the test on Chapter 3.

Homework Due April 10th

Remember there is no class, March 27th or April 3rd.
There is class March 20th this week! I will be giving out the test for chapter 3 and Sky Burial
For April 10th, please do the following.
Finish Chapter 3;
Do C-1, C-2, C-3;
Read p. 121-126 do all question p.124- to top of p.126.

As part of the test on Chapter 3 (50 points)
Do the following assignment: Using one of the search engines in Chapter 3 or using http://www.lii.org/ find a website about Tibet. Tips: use words in the search engine like: Tibet history; Tibet conflict with China; Tibet culture; Tibet religion; Tibet nomadic tribes; or anything you are particularly interested in that was brought up in the book, Sky Burial.
Describe how you found the website,
then evaluate the website using the 3 factors described in the textbook.
Would you recommend the website, why or why not?
Please post your evaluation as a comment on this blog under the entry "Websites on Tibet. "
When you try to post you will be asked to create and accounnt on blogger; so please go ahead and create an acount if you do not already have one. Then post your information about the website you found with a url to it. If you are unable to get a blogger account, then you may e-mail it to me instead at my e-mail address (sradcliff@ohlone.edu) on the syllabus.

Also please complete the rest of the test on Chapter 3;

(50 points) Read p. 126-128. Answer all comprehension and vocabulary questions: p. 128-130. Turn in on separate piece of paper.

and the test on Sky Burial
(handed out in class)

Homework for 3/20

Finish Reading Sky Burial. Begin to create study guide for test on Sky Burial. (Take-home over break due April 10th) Study guide should include description of all major characters and chapter guide. Create a brief summary of all chapters, with page number references to events and/or passages you think are significant. (Study guides will be turned in with your test) Create two questions for class discussion. Questions can be any combination of text-reader-world knowledge.

Begin Chapter 3 in Reading Versatility. Do exercises A-1,A-2,B-1,-B-2
Continue to work on passage to college reading.

Next week is the last class before break. Chapter 3 HW, test and test for Sky Burial will be given out all due April 10th. If for some reason you miss class be sure to contact me to get the take-home tests.

Homework due 3/13

Chapter 2, section C-1 (in class)

section C-2 HW do questions.
Section D-2, do Summaries

Read Section E in class and review for test on Chapter 2.
Review 331-338
SQ3R method

Read and review F-1 "Thinking a Neglected Art" and F-2 "Putting Reading in its Proper Place"
for Chapter 2 test. (take a reading rate from F-1)

Read novel (use reading strategies outlined in section E above) and take a reading rate: e.g figure number of words on a page. Read for 5 minutes, check number of pages, figure out reading rate (Words per minute. )

Summarize chapter 5-8 of Sky Burial.

Test on Chapter 2 next week, focusing on reading strategy from section e; SQ3R method and F-1 & F-2 Reading selections.

Homework for next week 3/6

Homework is to read and do exercises in Reading Versatility, chapter 2, section B, B-1, B-2
& continue reading Sky burial. If not already done: summarize chapters 3 & 4. Write a paragraph on a memorable event form the novel. Also answer one of the questions developed in class and come up with a new "dense" question.