Forbidden City

Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. China (Chapter 1)

2. Military history (Chapter 2)

3. Lao Xu (Chapter 3)

4. The Great Wall of China (Chapter 5)

5. A spy (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. Alex probably feels neglected by his father’s inattention to him. (Various chapters)

2. In China, Alex learns that the host must provide more than enough food for those who are dining with them. If the host runs out of food for his guests, he will “lose face.” (Chapter 4) Western cultures do not usually focus in this way on amounts of food when hosting people or the social repercussions of not having enough food.

Chapters 7-11

Reading Check

1. A video camera (Chapter 7)

2. A Chinese-language class (Chapter 8)

3. Tiananmen Square (Chapter 9)

4. A tearoom (Chapter 11)

5. The people (Chapter 11)

Short Answer

1. Alex’s father, Ted, seems only to care for the video he can acquire. Even when he is concerned about Alex’s well-being, he concedes to allow Alex to leave the hotel only after Alex promises to produce a video. (Chapter 7)

2. Ted climbs a monument at Tiananmen Square to capture any protest that might happen there. He puts his life in danger to get the best camera angle. (Chapter 10)

Chapters 12-17

Reading Check

1. Hong, meaning red (Chapter 14)

2. A hunger strike (Chapter 15)

3. Martial law (Chapter 15)

4. Plainclothesmen (Chapter 16)

5. Satellite broadcasting (Chapter 17)

Short Answer

1. Alex observes that the students in his school in China attend school six days a week and have fewer breaks. He describes the teachers as being revered and unquestioned. (Chapter 12)

2. The students wish to be taken seriously, they want the government to apologize for acts of violence against students, and they want the government to stop printing lies about them in the press. (Chapter 13)

Chapters 18-24

Reading Check

1. They’re unarmed. (Chapter 18)

2. Counter-revolutionaries (Chapter 20)

3. Beyond the railway station (Chapter 21)

4. Tanks in the city (Chapter 22)

5. The “Goddess of Democracy” (Chapter 24)

Short Answer

1. Alex sees the protesters and wonders what he himself has done to further the good of society. He believes he has not been as proactive as he could have been in pursuing things that matter. (Chapter 19)

2. Counter-revolutionaries in the story are to be shot. The Chinese military brings tanks into the city, preparing to attack the protesters. (Various chapters)

Chapters 25-28

Reading Check

1. Retreat (Chapter 25)

2. Read and play chess (Chapter 27)

3. Molotov cocktails (Chapter 27)

4. Nai-nai’s house (Chapter 27)

5. 2,600 (Chapter 28)

Short Answer

1. The Eastern and Western reporters have conflicting details about the events. These conflicting details presumably are caused by the government’s control over the press in China. (Chapter 25)

2. Ted and Eddie do not want Alex to be involved in the chaos at the square as the incident heats up between the military and protesters. (Chapter 26)

Chapters 29-32

Reading Check

1. Xin-hua (Chapter 29)

2. The Canadian Embassy (Chapter 29)

3. Money (Chapter 30)

4. The V sign (Chapter 30)

5. Money/Yuan notes (Chapter 31)

Short Answer

1. Alex feels that he does not have a say in what should be done with him. He is also frustrated because he is concerned for his father and doesn’t know how to locate him. (Chapter 29)

2. They want Alex to smuggle his videotapes out of the country so the world will know what has happened to the protesters. (Chapter 29)