Name ______Period ______Date ______

THE GOOD EARTH by Pearl S. Buck

Identify the following characters.

1. Nung Wen

2. Wang Lung's uncle

3, Pear Blossom

4. Nung En

5. mistress of the house of Hwang

Answer True or False for each of the following statements

______6. Wang Lung and O-lan, like all the villagers, burn incense in honor of the earth gods.

______7. Wang Lung meets lotus in the house of Flowers.

______8. The eldest son of Wan Lung becomes a merchant.

______9. Wang Lung's youngest son becomes a revolutionary soldier.

______10. Wang Lung's youngest son becomes a revolutionary soldier.

______11. To save his own life, a frightened rich man gives Wang Lung many handfuls of gold.

______12. Wang Lung and O-lan marry for love.

______13. As the mother of a son, O-lan visits her former masters with a gift of cakes.

______14. At the time of her marriage to Wang Lung, O-lan is seventeen years old.

______15. During the famine, Wang Lung is unable to kill his ox for food.

______16. The soldiers are quartered in Wang Lung's home by order of his cousin.

______17. Those who live in the town make fun of those who live in the country.

______18. By working and begging, Wang Lung's family is able to save enough money for their eventual return to the North.

______19. Even during the great famine, O-lan and Wang Lung refuse to sell their land.

______20. Pear Blossom is the comfort of Wang Lung in his old age.

______21. In the Sacred Edicts it is written that a man is never to correct his elder.

______22. Red is a favorite color of the gods and goddesses.

______23. In Wang Lung's social class, women are considered inferior to men.

______24. Wang Lung's uncle brings shame to the family when his marriageable daughters run about the village.

______25. Wang Lung's sons intend to honor their father's reverence for the land after he dies.

Answer the following questions.

26. What type of novel is The Good Earth?

27. What nationality are the characters in the novel?

28. What is the major setting of the novel?

29. What does Wang Lung's braid symbolize?

30. What does Wang Lung's youngest son wish to be?

31. Who is Wang Lung's most trusted friend?

32. How does Wang Lung's second son show early signs of love for money?

33. What is O-Lan most proud of being?

34. After O-lan's death, what is Wang Lung's greatest regret?

35. In mourning for the dead, how do Wang Lung and his family dress themselves?

36. After he is ridiculed by the clerks in the gain shop, what does Wang Lung decide to do?

37. What is Wang Lung's greatest love?

38. How long must a dead relative of a great family be mourned?

39. As his wealth increases, who does Wang Lung imitate?

40 Who does Wang Lung fear?

41. Why is O-lan body kept for three months in the temple?

42. What does Wang Lung do in order to feed his family?

43. What is the better tobacco that Wang Lung's uncle wants?

44. When is Wang Lung's greatest triumph?

45. Why does Wang Lung have no peace in his new house?

46. What should a bride do to be thought modest and correct?

47. What does Pearl Blossom promise to do after Wang Lung dies?

48. What does O-lan take from a looted home of the rich?

49. What do the student no longer study after the revolution?

50. Why do the rich feed the poor?