Literature: Red Scarf Girl-8th grade Summer Reading
What was amazing to her about American society?
How much freedom there is.
Why did the scene foreman from the theatre show up at Ji‐li's school and ask to speak with her?
Testify against her father.
What had the Red Guard forced him to falsely confess?
That he listened to foreign radio.
What were Ji-li's worries of tomorrow and the day after?
That her mom would be detained, her dad would be beaten to death, her grandmother would be sent to do labor, and that would be all Ji-li's fault.
What did Du Hai explain about respect for teachers?
That respect for teachers was a Four Olds.
Why do the Jiangs go through the picture albums and burn selected pictures in the bathroom at night?
The Red Guards would find pictures of the old, and bad lifestyle.
Why did Uncle Fan confess to something he had not done?
The torture and psychological pressure.
Why were the four trunks so special to the Jiang family?
The trunks were full of Grandma's dowry she brought when she married Grandpa. It was full of expensive silks.
What did Song Po‐po explain to the children about their living circumstances in Shaighai?
Their house used to be bigger, better, and it was a shame that it has been reduced.
How was the funeral different for a person who committed suicide?
There was no funeral ceremony, the body was only burnt.
What did the student inspectors do to the handsomely dressed young man they found getting off a public bus?
They cut up his pants and shoes because they were Four Olds.
Why did the Red Guard search Fourth Aunt's apartment?
They found a knife and a picture of her in the same garbage can.
Why were teachers considered revisionists and dangerously damaging to Chinese youths?
They like competition, scholarship, and high grades.
Old Qian defied the Red Guard over a bicycle. What did the Red Guard do?
They made him kneel on a washboard while they searched his house.
The family had interesting friends that visited Ji‐li's father's "Jiang Salon." Why were they special people?
They were Pro Actors and Actress and also Play Writers. They were very educated and fun people.
Why were the signs on old shops being destroyed?
They were about wealth and money.
How did the Communist official explain the activity Ji‐li's father was forced to perform?
They were remolding him through labor.
When Chairman Mao died in 1976, what did the people of China finally realize about the Cultural Revolution?
They were taken advantage of; Part of a power struggle.
Who were the student inspectors on the street?
Three teens: 2 boys and 1 girl
Why is Ji-li returning to Shanghai?
To complete a study session with her fathers theatre.
Ji‐li's father was sent to political study class. What was the purpose of this class?
To make him confess his sin and change his thinking.
Why was Ji‐li sent by her family to The Children's Art Theatre?
To take her dad food and clothes.
What did the Jiang family do with the silk clothing of their ancestors?
Tore them up and used them as mops.
What did this evil Communist Party official want Ji‐li to do?
Turn against her parents and be a good communist.
How old was Ji‐li when the Cultural Revolution started in China?
Twelve
What self‐realization did Ji‐li experience as a result of hard times and the kindness of others?
How selfish she is.
What did Ji‐li teach herself to do by reading books of instruction?
How to sew clothing.
How many surnames are Chinese?
Hundred
What are Chairman Mao's "Four Olds?"
Ideas; Culture; Custom; Habits
Why was this letter so dangerous?
If the police saw it, the family would be condemned.
Where was the incriminating letter hidden?
In the cat's litter box.
What was in the letter Ji-li's mother had written to the Municipal Party Committee?
It complained about the rebels and police at Ji-li dad's theatre.
This particular Chinese New Year was another personal milestone for Ji‐li. What was special about this day?
It is her 14th birthday.
How did Ji‐li feel after she left this meeting?
Like a trapped animal.
What does the name Ji‐li mean in Chinese language?
Lucky and beautiful
In 1949, who led the Communist Party to power in China?
Mao ze-dong
Define the following word: Revisionist
Member of the Communist Party who try to change Communist ideas.
Define the following word: Proletariat
Member of the working class (farmers)
Which group made up the Red Successors?
Middle school students.
What is a da‐zi‐bao?
Political Papers.
What was Ji‐li learning in English class?
Political study; Chairman Mao's works
Why did she run out of the station when the policeman left to get papers to fill out?
She couldn't leave her family.
How does Ji‐li react to her Father's request that she not audition?
She cries in disappointment and questionable.
Why was shopping for food so difficult for Ji‐li?
She didn't know what the foods looked like and the lines were very long.
What had Jiang Xi‐wen done to gain attention from the students?
She fussed at students about picking mulberry leaves.
What did the reassignment mean for Ji‐li and her friend?
She gets to go to Shi-yi, the school she wanted.
Why wasn't Ji‐li elected one of the ten Red Successors from her class at school?
She had a bad family status, she was from a landlord's family.
Why did Bai Shan stop her outside the door of the exhibition hall the next day?
She had been replaced by Fang Fang.
How and why did she die?
She jumped out of a window because she was afraid of the Red Guards torturing her.
Why does Ji‐li find writing a da‐zi‐boa so difficult to do?
She likes her teachers and can not think of bad things to say about them.
What happened to Ji‐li's mother when she was ordered to come in to work and meet with officials of the Communist Party there at the office?
She passed out and they took away her salary.
How does Ji‐li's behavior change after the disappointment over the audition?
She stops feeling luck & special and looses her dreams.
Why had Ji‐li requested a different work location for the summer?
So she could help mom.
Describe Ji‐li's father's appearance, background and character:
Stage actor; Six feet tall; Serious; Educated; Slightly stooped shouldered.
Describe Ji‐li's mother's background and current job:
Stage actress; Pretty; Worked in a sporting goods store
When the Communist takeover of China occurred, where did Hwang's relatives move?
Taiwan
What was the symbolism of the Red Scarves the children wore?
The red blood of Revolutionary Martyrs.
The Red Guards were made up of which groups?
College and High School kids.
In what year was Ji-li's father finally cleared of wrongdoing?
1980
When did Ji-li move to America?
1984
What is meant by the term an auspicious date?
A lucky date.
Why was suicide a crime in China according to Chairman Mao?
Alienating one's self from people.
Why did the "re-education" of the Chinese youth out in the countryside fail to produce Chairman Mao's goals?
All of the people came back with little education, few skills, and no beliefs.
Who was the "lost generation" in China?
All the young people during the Cultural Revolution.
In 1966 Mao became frustrated with some of the changes he was attempting to create in China, so he called for a "perpetual revolution." What did this mean for China? P. XVI‐XVII
All young people were red guards and worked against education.
Chang Hong seemed to dislike one member of the Communist Party Birthday project committee. Whom did she dislike and why?
Bai Shan; He left class and may not like Mao.
According to Ji-li how was she brainwashed?
Because Mao controlled everything and everyone believed him.
What did the foreman from the theatre use as an excuse to search the Jiang house again?
Because a landlord and landlord's wife had gone unpunished.
How was Xiao‐cheng's father treated by the Red Guard?
Because he use to be the highest official in Jiang Ji Li's district.
Why does Du Hai say that Jiang Ji‐li is a capitalist?
Because she has a housekeeper.
How does Ji‐li's apartment home compare to the homes of many of her classmates?
Bigger, brighter, and has a private bath.
Ji‐li went into the police station to ask about
Change her name.
How did Ji-li injure herself in the rice fields
Cut leg with her sickle.
Comrade Li from the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy was recruiting students to audition for___.
Dance training class at the Art Academy.
What special skill is Ji‐li tested on at her school?
Flexibility
Why was Ji-li willing to move to America and start all over at the bottom of society?
For freedom.
What did Chang Hong's office at the Red Guard headquarters look like?
Full of red posters.
When Ji‐li's father finally came home, what did he do?
Got clothes and cried.
Uncle Fan, a close friend of Ji‐li's father from the theatre arrived at the Jiang apartment late one night. Why did he come to see them?
He had been beaten by the Red Guards and he came to warn them.
What did Uncle Zhu do that caused trouble for the Jiang family?
He lied and said he listened to foreign radio.
How did Shan‐shan behave when he saw his mother collapsed in the street and unable to get back on her feet?
He walked past her and didn't help her up.
How did this ruling change Li-li's fathers life?
He was dropped of all crimes and could become Vice President of the children's theatre.
What threat did he make about Ji‐li's family?
He would question all of them.
Song Po‐po continued to___.
Help out with work and food.
What positive things did the Communists in China accomplish?
Helped the poor; United China
Describe what Ji-li saw when the official at the theatre (former scene shop foreman) took her to the window to see her father:
Her father carrying a concrete pipe.
What prized possession of Ji‐li's did the Red Guard take away with them after the search in passing?
Her stamp collection.
What did Ji‐li explain to her grandmother about superstition concerning dates?
It was Four Olds.
After Ji-li's father was finally released what job was he assigned?
Janitor
Which family member goes to warn Uncle Tian about the discovery of the letter and the danger he is in when he reports to work?
Ji Yong
What terrible event happened on Chinese New Year?
Ji-li's dad was arrested.
List Ji‐li's siblings and describe them:
Ji-yong: 11 years old; A boy; Short and plump; Dark skinned and sturdy. Ji-yun: 10 years old; A girl; Short and plump, Sturdy and with dimples.
What narration part did Ji‐li perform in the class education exhibit?
Landlord's slave story.
Who was Song Po‐po?
Nanny; House keeper
What wonderful news did teacher Ga give JI‐li?
No exams.
How has the Jiang's brownstone neighborhood changed in the last several years?
No longer just rich people, many families share one living space.
Do Chinese women change their names when they marry?
Not usually
Why did Chang Hong want to meet with Ji‐li in her office?
Official business.
What is left in the Jiang apartment after the raid?
Old fashioned desk laying on its side and also a pile of clothes.
How long was the start of Junior High School delayed by the Cultural Revolution?
One year
Teacher Zhang said to Ji‐li,"We cannot choose our families or our class status. But we can choose___."
Our own futures.
What was Morning Repentance and Evening Report at the Propaganda Wall?
People with bad family ties had to mop the alley morning and evening.
The children notice a photographer's store front called the Good Fortune Photo Studio. What did they suggest the name should be changed to as a gesture of support for the Four Olds movement?
Proletarian Photo Studio.
What was the emblem of the Chinese Young Pioneers?
Red scarf
At Grandpa Hong's bookstall the children could experience reading more books for the money if they___.
Rented books to save money.
What was the purpose of the Class Education Exhibit, Ji‐li was nominated to help design and produce for the Communist Party Birthday Celebration on July 1?
Represent her school with an exhibit on class struggle.
Ji-li once defined her life by her goals, now she defined her life by her___.
Responsibilities
Describe Ji‐li's grandmother's background and title of respect:
Retired principal; Very educated; Founded a school; Students call her teacher Cao
What did the article on the front page of the Worker's Revolt paper disclose about the Jiang family?
Rich landlord family with 3300 acres of land and lots of businesses called the half city Jiangs.
Why did Ji‐li stay home from school?
She was "sick" over the posters and had a fever.
An Yi, her close friend confesses that some da‐zi‐bao were written against her mother. What did the students write about her mother?
She was a monster and a class enemy.
Du Hai and Yin Lan‐lan wrote a da‐zi‐bao about Ji‐li. What was the accusation made against her?
She was a teachers pet.
Why did Ji‐li decide to avoid Teacher Zhang and the opportunity to work on the blackboard newspaper?
She was afraid everyone would find out about her class status.
Why did the Jiang family finally release Song Po‐po from her job of housekeeper with the family?
She was being taken advantage of says the government.
What was An Yi's mother forced to do by authorities?
She was forced to climb a factory chimney as a punishment.
Why was Ji‐li assigned to go with the group that would challenge Jiang Xi‐wen?
She was her aunt.
Why did Ji-li cry in front of Bai Shan?
She was hurt, tired, and stressed.
How had Ji-li's mother's status changed as a result of the letter and the raid on the apartment?
She was now classified as a landlord's wife.
What did Chairman Jin tell Ji‐li when she entered the building to perform her part of the exhibit?
She was replaced.
Why was Ji‐li selected for this important assignment?
She was smart, spoke Mandarin, and won a speech contest.
What happened to Du Hai's mother when Xu A‐san returned from Xinjiang?
She was standing on a stool, her head lowered to her chest. Two torn shoes were hung around her neck, along with a sign.
Why doesn't Ji‐li's father want her to audition?
She will not pass the family background test.
What major promise did Ji-li make to her mother as she washed her hair?
She would take care of the family.
Describe: An Yi's Grandmother
Short; Skinny; Bound feet; Dressed in black.
How were the school placements decided?
The teachers assigned them to a high school.
Where does the Jiang family live now?
United States
Where did Ji-li attend college?
University of Hawaii
What was the "double rush" for farmers in the countryside?
Ware straw hats; Woke up at 5:30 had to harvest 5 rows of rice in a day; Only have 5 minutes for lunch.
How did Ji‐li and An Yi try to foretell the future?
Would write it on a piece of paper by wetting it a little and then put it on a window seal-the last one that fly's off in the wind will come true.
What was the ruling of the party officials during this meeting?
You are fired until you confess your crimes.
