Selection 8 GRAD

Speed and Comprehension Reading Material E 9

The Triumph Family

This is the heroic story of South Vietnamese family who was shattered by brutal communist
regime and had little to rely on but the love, courage and wisdom they give to one another.
A middle aged South Vietnamese biology teacher gathered his family in their home. The news
that some Vietnam would soon fall to the Communists spread like wild fire. Being a devout Christian,
he vowed never to surrender their beliefs and that day would leave their country for a new life
elsewhere.
At the airport, he and his wife and seven children, ranging from 13-6 months old, were turned
back.
That night, Communist youths swarmed into the city. Gunfire and screams followed. Inside
their house, the terrified children huddled around their parents crying and praying. The teacher was
arrested and set out into the street, accused of being an enemy of the people. He screamed, “Please,
dear God, help me and my family!”
Suddenly a woman dashed forward proclaiming herself a Communist sympathizer. She said,
“This man is popular for his good deeds as a teacher and an execution without trial would adversely
affect the revolution.”
The youths released him and ordered the family to leave their home immediately without their
possessions.
Together with his wife, he knew their children may have to grow up in a strange country with
them. Following Vietnamese custom, he instructed his eldest son, a thirteen-year ,old boy to carry on
in his absence. “You shall become me,” he told his son gently.
Six times he arranged his children’s escape and every plot was foiled. On the Seventh attempt,
the whole family was jailed. They were split up and confined to damp cells where cockroaches around.
When they were released they saw one another again. “Thank God, He has given us strength
for a reason,” the father said, embracing them.
But the problem did not end there. Three days later, the father with resolute determination took
the chance of putting his eldest son and others on Chinese freighter which anchored off Malaysia.
While there, the children learned that a storm had sunk the boat their parents and remaining brothers
took. Too bereaved to hear the news, they wept and prayed.
Eleven months after arrival at Malaysia, they were shipped to Singapore as refugees. They
heard that a man named Thoa was looking for his family and was encamped in another village. Could
this be their father who carried the same name? They prayed fervently. This trauma of waiting to see
one another paid off. It was the reunion for the whole family.
After some years, time came for them to be sent to the United States. The father spoke to them,
“ We will go to America, a truly wonderful country, a land of great opportunities. We shall experience
what is said of American ideal of equality.

573 words
 Selection 8 GRAD
Speed and Comprehension Reading Material E 9

The Triumph of a Family

Choose the letter of the best answer.

1. What was the nationality of the family in the selection that triumphed?
a. American family c. Malaysian family
b. Japanese family d. Vietnamese family
2. What shattered the family?
a. Communist occupation c. Lost of bread winner
b. Outbreak of war d. Lost of the mother
3. What was the profession of the head of the family?
a. Doctor c. Teacher
b. Soldier d. Engineer
4. What was the religion of their family?
a. Buddhism c. Catholicism
b. Mohammedanism d. Paganism
5. Who came to the rescue of the head of the family?
a. Woman c. A soldier
b. A man d. A fairy
6. Why was the family jailed?
a. for trying to escape from the c. for talking against communism
country d. for stealing from the army
b. for refusing to embrace communism
7. Where were the children shipped as refugee?
a. Malaysia c. Vietnam
b. Singapore d. United States
8. What news did the children learn about their parents?
a. Their father died c. Their father became rich
b. Their father had a good job d. Their father was sick
9. Where did the family finally settle?
a. Malaysia c. Vietnam
b. Singapore d. United States
10. Which of these could be a better title for the selection?
a. The Scare of Communism c. The Refugees
b. The Adventures of a Family d. Thoa and His Family

573 words
 Selection 8 GRAD
Speed and Comprehension Reading Material E 9

The Triumph of a Family

Answer Key

1. B
2. A
3. C
4. C
5. A
6. B
7. A
8. A
9. D
10. A