The Refugees

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Story 1

Reading Check

1. Why was the speaker disguised as a boy?

2. What is the speaker’s brother’s response to the question, “Why did I live and you die?”

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does the speaker believe her job as a ghostwriter is ironic? Describe how her job title relates to the situation that she describes in her story.

2. What is the difference between a “good death” and a “bad death”? Provide one example of each, as shared in the story.

Paired Resource

“Vietnamese Boat People”

• These stories convey experiences of people who fled Vietnam in the years after the war.
• The speaker’s experience as a “boat people” survivor connects with the theme Haunted by Trauma: PTSD and Narrative Exposure Therapy.
• How does the speaker’s experience mirror the stories shared in the above resource?

Story 2

Reading Check

1. Whom did Liem learn English from?

2. What comment does Marcus make that Liem believes is a “very American way of thinking”?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who are Marcus and Parrish? How does Liem feel about this pair?

2. What type of person does Liem want to be? Describe how his peers’ perceptions of him support or negate his self-image.

Paired Resource

“‘I am a Queer Vietnamese American, But Not Always in that Order’”

• This 2019 Human Rights Campaign article shares the story of a second-generation Vietnamese American coming out to his parents.
• This individual’s experience presents another angle to the theme Intergenerational Conflict.
• Based on the novel and the above resource, what are some of the concerns and difficulties as a Vietnamese person identifying as LGBTQI+?

Story 3  

Reading Check

1. What unusual activity does the speaker’s mother decide to do after Sunday church service?

2. What is the subject of the book that the speaker is reading on Wednesday?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Compare and contrast the speaker’s mother and father’s responses to Mrs. Hoa’s request for money. How does the speaker feel about each of her parent’s responses?

2. Summarize the final encounter between the speaker’s mom and Mrs. Hoa. What does the speaker’s mom decide to do?

Paired Resource

“Vietnam After the War”

• The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada shares information regarding the transition to communism after the US withdrew from Vietnam in 1975.
• This information relates to the theme of Haunted by Trauma: PTSD and Narrative Exposure Therapy.
• How does Mrs. Hoa’s concern for the future of Vietnam reflect the socio-political transformation in the country after 1975?

Story 4

Reading Check

1. What does Arthur believe is “God’s sly way” of keeping him and Norma together?

2. What does Louis threaten to do if Arthur does not continue with their scheme?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Which event has bonded Arthur with Louis? How does Arthur attempt to pay Louis back?

2. Who is Minh Vu? What does Arthur learn from his phone call with him?

Paired Resource

“VietStories: Vietnamese American Oral History Project”

• This research project from the University of California Irvine shares experiences of the Vietnamese community in Orange County, California.
• Based on the novel as well as the above resource, describe the experiences of people living in the “Little Saigon” Vietnamese enclave in Westminster, California.

Story 5  

Reading Check

1. What name does the professor repeatedly call Mrs. Khanh?

2. What does the term “heritage learners” mean?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Vinh suggest that his mother do? How does she respond to this suggestion?

Paired Resource

“Learning Vietnamese as a Heritage Learner”

• This is a presentation by a student at Union College on his experience learning Vietnamese.
• This information connects with the theme Intergenerational Conflict.
• Using the novel as well as the above resource, compare and contrast the different perceptions of Vietnamese “heritage learners.”

Story 6

Reading Check

1. According to Carver’s roommate, what should someone do if they bomb a country?

2. Why do the young Vietnamese boys stare at the family while they are at the cafe?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe Legaspi’s work in Vietnam. What is Carver and his family’s reaction?

2. Summarize Carver’s perspective on aging. What happens at the end of the story when he is forced to confront the reality of Aging and the Loss of Agency?

Paired Resource

“Vietnam”

• The UK organization Mines Advisory Group (MAG) discusses their mine-removal work in Vietnam.
• The presence of mines is dangerous and perpetually links Vietnam to the war.
• This relates to the theme Haunted by Trauma: PTSD and Narrative Exposure Therapy.
• Based on the novel and the above resource, what are some of the disarmament efforts in Vietnam?

Story 7  

Reading Check

1. Why does Thomas say he needs to use Mimi’s bathroom?

2. What item of his mother’s is Thomas surprised that his father kept?

3. What does Thomas do for Sam at the end of the story?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Compare and contrast the differences between Vietnamese and American women, according to Mimi. How does she offer to help Thomas?

2. What does Thomas’s father mean when he tells his son, “It’s time we did something about you”? Describe his plan, as well as the outcome of the situation.

Story 8  

Reading Check

1. According to Phuong, how do tourists see Vietnamese people?

2. What final gift does Vivien give Phuong?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Vivien reveal about her feelings regarding her father? How does Phuong respond?

2. What secret does Phuong share with Vivien? How does Vivien respond?

Paired Resource

“Vietnamese Refugees’ View on the American Dream”

• This is a 2021 article by Pepperdine University on the perception of the US by refugees.
• This resource relates to the themes Intergenerational Conflict and Haunted by Trauma: PTSD and Narrative Exposure Therapy.
• Based on the novel and the above resource, discuss the differences in the reality and perceptions of life in the US.

Two Essays

Reading Check

1. According to Nguyen, what is the relationship between being a refugee and being an American?

2. What interesting fact does Nguyen note about the 2016 Nobel Prize recipients?

3. How long did it take Nguyen to finish his short story collection?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Nguyen believe his “good fortune is a stroke of bureaucratic luck”?

2. What two things did Nguyen learn about himself from the writing process?

Recommended Next Reads 

Nothing Ever Dies by Viet Thanh Nguyen

• Nguyen’s 2016 collection shares stories, reflections, and criticisms related to the “Vietnam War”/”American War.”
• This relates to the themes Intergenerational Conflict and Haunted by Trauma: PTSD and Narrative Exposure Therapy.
• Shared topics include criticism of war, the war in Vietnam, memory, and trauma.
• Nothing Ever Dies on SuperSummary

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do

• Do’s 2010 memoir charts his journey from Vietnam to Australia, incorporating humor and witticisms into his reflections.
• This relates to the same themes of this novel: Intergenerational Conflict, Haunted by Trauma: PTSD and Narrative Exposure Therapy, and Aging and Loss of Agency.
• Shared topics include the war in Vietnam, refugee “boat people,” varieties of refugee experiences, and adapting to life in a Western country.
• The Happiest Refugee on SuperSummary