AP Multiple Choice Questions: The Orphan Masters Son (Originally on pages 17-18)

1 There was no doctor. The infirmary was just a place where sick soldiers were housed until it was clear they wouldnt recover. If the young soldier hadnt improved by morning, the MPs would hook up a blood line and drain four units from him. Jun Do had seen it before, and as far as he could tell, it was the best way to go. It only took a couple of minutes first they got sleepy, then a little dreamy looking, and if there was a last little panic at the end, it didnt matter because they couldnt talk anymore, and finally, before lights out, they looked pleasantly confused, like a cricket with its feelers pulled off. 7 The camp generator shut down slowly the lights dimmed, the fridge went quiet. Officer So and Jun Do took to their cots. 9 There was a Japanese man. He took his dog for a walk. And then he was nowhere. For the people who knew him, hed forever be nowhere. Thats how Jun do had thought of the boys selected by the men with Chinese accents. They were here and then they were nowhere, taken like Bo Song to parts unknown. Thats how hed thought of most people appearing in your life like foundlings on the doorstep, only to be swept away later as if by flood. But Bo Song hadnt gone nowhere whether he sank down to the wolf eels or bloated and took the tide north to Vladivostok, he went somewhere. The Japanese man wasnt nowhere, either he was in the hot box, right out there in the drill grounds. And Jun Dos mother, it now struck him she was somewhere, at this very moment, in a certain apartment in the capital, perhaps, looking in a mirror, brushing her hair before bed. 18 For the first time in years, Jun Do closed his eyes and let himself recall her face. It was dangerous to dream up people like that. If you did, theyd soon be in the tunnel with you. That happened many times when he remembered boys from Long Tomorrows. One slip and a boy was suddenly following you in the dark. He was saying things to you, asking why you werent the one who fell in the paint vat, and youd get the feeling that at any moment, the toes of a front kick would cross your face. 24 But there she was, his mother. Lying there, listening to the shivering of the soldier, her voice came to him. Arirang, she sang, her voice achy, at the edge of a whisper, coming from an unknown somewhere. Even those damn orphans knew where their parents were.

1.

The dying soldier is compared to a

a. dimming light b. cricket without its feelers c. camp generator shutting down

d. burning cigarette e. draining bag of blood

2. The reader can infer from lines 9-10 that a. the man would not be missed b. nobody really knew who the man was c. nobody will question the mans disappearance d. the man and his dog got lost e. the man had been taken before

3. All of the following people are presumed missing to Jun Do except a. Boys from Long Tomorrows b. Bo Song c. Jun Dos mother d. The Japanese man e. Jun Dos father

4. In the passage, readers can infer that Bo Song: a. is dead b. was taken by the government c. moved away d. left against his will e. was adopted

5. In the passage, Jun Do expresses strong emotions about I. His mother II. The dying soldier III. The orphans

a. I b. II c. III d. I and III e. I and II

KEY: 1. ANS: B The answer choice is B. It is directly stated in line 6 of the passage. The word like allows for the comparison to be made. Option A is incorrect. The dimming light is simply that; there is no language to suggest it is being used as a comparison to the soldier. Option C is incorrect. There is no language to suggest the camp generator is meant to be a comparison to the soldier. Option D is incorrect. There is no mention of a burning cigarette in the passage. Option E is incorrect. Although draining the blood from the soldier does cause him to die, there is no language to suggest that a comparison is being made between the two.

2.

ANS: C The answer choice is C. The wording of this section suggests that these disappearances happen often and are not to be questioned in the totalitarian

government of North Korea (i.e. lines 9-10 For the people who knew him, hed forever be nowhere.). Option A is incorrect. There is no evidence to suggest that the man would not be missed. Option B is incorrect. Lines 9-10 state that others did know him, but they would assume his location to be nowhere. Option D is incorrect. There is no evidence to suggest the man and his dog got lost. Rather, based on lines 9-10, it can be assumed he was taken. Option E is incorrect. There is no evidence to suggest that the man had been taken before.

3.

4.

5.

ANS: D The answer choice is D. In lines 14-15, it is stated that the Japanese man is in a hot box near Jun Do. Option A is incorrect. Lines 10-11 suggest that Jun Do believes the boys were taken to nowhere. Option B is incorrect. It is stated that Jun Do believes Bo Song was taken to parts unknown (lines 11-12). Option C is incorrect. Evidence to reject this option can be found in lines 16-17, 18-19, and 24-26, which mention her being in an unknown somewhere. Option E is incorrect. In line 26, it is suggested that Jun Do does not know where his parents are. ANS: E The answer choice is E. Although Jun Do believes Bo Song is either missing or dead, the passage says he was taken away, much like the other boys from Long Tomorrows who were selected by men with Chinese accents(lines 10-11). The wording of these lines, as well as line 26, suggests that Long Tomorrows is an orphanage; therefore, it would make sense if Bo Song had been adopted. Option B is incorrect. While this option seems plausible, it should be ruled out after understanding that Long Tomorrows is an orphanage. Option C is incorrect. There is no evidence to suggest that Bo Song moved away, especially since it is stated that he was taken. Option D is incorrect. Although the word taken may lead one to believe that Bo Song left against his will, after noting that he had likely been adopted, this option becomes less likely to be correct. ANS: D The answer choice is D. Jun Do expresses sadness and anger over not knowing who his mother is in lines 18-19 and 26, and jealousy towards the orphans (line 26), as they know where there parents went. He also feels bad for leaving some orphans behind (as seen in lines 21-23), or allowing them to do the dangerous jobs instead of him. Option A is incorrect. Jun Do also expresses emotions about the orphans.

Option B is incorrect. Jun Do does not express any strong emotions about the dying soldier; he merely explains the process by which other soldiers have died. He even notes that the draining of the blood is the best way to go(lines 3-4). Option C is incorrect. Jun Do also expresses emotions about his mother. Option E is incorrect. While Jun Do does express emotions about his mother, he does not express emotions about the dying soldier.