Chimerica Quizzes

Chimerica Quiz Act One

1 How does the play open?
On a still image of the Tank Man photo

Zhang Lin climbing onto the tank

Joe adjusting his camera

"Ode to Joy" playing over darkness
2 Why is Joe able to take the iconic Tank Man photograph?
He is on the sixth floor of a Beijing hotel overlooking Tiananmen Square

Because of his close relationship with Zhang Lin, he is permitted to take the photo

He is the only American left in China

He brought a film camera, not digital
3 How does Joe smuggle his photographs out of China?
He is protected by American free speech laws

He smuggles the photographs in his underwear

He hides the film roles in the hotel toilet cistern

The police officer is sympathetic to his cause and lets him go
4 What is Joe's profession when he is nineteen?
He is an unemployed backpacker traveling through Asia

He is a foreign exchange student studying Mandarin

He is a wedding photographer for Chinese couples

He is a photojournalist for an American newspaper
5 What detail does Joe immediately notice about the Tank Man?
The tank man is carrying shopping bags

He is extremely thin, like he is starving

He is wearing a police uniform

He is much younger than Joe
6 Why does Tess Kendrick travel to Beijing?
She is married to a Chinese man

She is doing research on Chinese consumer markets

She is an English professor at Peking University

She is a journalist covering Chinese politics
7 Which words best describe Mel's personality?
Reserved and intellectual

Thoughtful and polite

Grounded yet idealistic

Misogynistic and abrasive
8 How do Joe and Tess connect on the flight?
Joe and Tess realize they went to the same high school and reminisce

Tess is excited that Joe took the Tank Man photograph, which she has framed on her wall

Tess is scared of flying, and Joe holds her hand

They discuss their shared love of Ella Fitzgerald
9 Where does Joe tour in Beijing?
The darkroom of famous Chinese photographer, Zhang Wei

The Great Wall of China

The Beijing Museum of Modern Art

The plastics factory run by Zhang Lin's brother
10 What is Zhang Lin carrying when he meets Joe?
English textbooks

A present for Joe

Two grocery bags

A film camera
11 What do Zhang Lin's "crazy English" lessons entail?
Screaming empowering English phrases at the sky

Reciting Dr. Seuss books

Speaking gibberish to familiarize oneself with English pronunciation

Combining Chinese and English vocabulary
12 While visiting Zhang Lin, how does Joe demonstrate his limited understanding of China?
He tries to photograph the Beijing Hotel and pushes Zhang Lin to discuss the Tank Man

He loudly questions the air quality reports while in a public place

He eats with a fork instead of chopsticks and orders water with ice in it

He insists on interviewing workers in the plastics factory and takes their photographs without asking permission
13 What troubling behavior does Zhang Lin demonstrate while meeting with Joe?
He loudly scolds his brother in front of Joe

He covers the security camera lenses in his apartment

He drinks all day

He lies about trivial matters
14 What unfulfilled promise does Joe make Zhang Lin?
To give up his search for the Tank Man

To offer Mary Chang a job

To marry Zhang Lin for a green card

To help Benny, Zhang Lin's nephew who plans to move to New York
15 How does Frank insist Joe spin the Tank Man story?
As a frame story for the presidential election

As an obituary for all "Unknown Heroes"

As an anti-communist tragedy

As a pro-American propaganda piece
16 What macabre slogan directs Joe's work as a photojournalist?
"Sex sells"

"If it bleeds, it leads"

"Dead men tell no tales"

"War is the best backdrop"
17 What evidence does Doreen present that confirms the Tank Man is dead?
An article by former Beijing correspondent Paul Kramer

An official statement by the Chinese government that the Tank Man was executed

An archival photograph of the Tank Man's dead body

An ad in a Chinese newspaper commemorating Wang Pengfei, the "Unsong Hero"
18 Why is Paul Kramer's article unreliable?
Paul did not write the article, though it bears his name

Paul was under pressure by the Party to confirm the Tank Man's death

Paul was using party drugs when he wrote the piece

Paul could not speak Mandarin at the time and likely misunderstood his sources
19 Why do Joe and Tess meet at a Chinese restaurant?
Tess wants to buy one of Joe's photographs for use on a credit card

Both want to practice their conversational Mandarin

Tess has information about the Tank Man's whereabouts

They go on a date
20 Why does Joe refuse to sell his photograph to Tess?
The image shows Zhang Lin's face, and Joe doesn't want to get his friend in trouble

Tess's offer is too low

The image depicts two children fishing in a polluted river, and he does not want to make money off of human suffering

Joe plans to publish the image in Frank's newspaper
21 What does Zhang Lin record on his laptop?
His recollections of the 1989 protests

A love letter to Liuli

His confessions of crimes he committed as a soldier

Audio of Ming Xiaoli coughing
22 According to Liuli, why does Zhang Lin's family call him "Dog-face"?
Because he is ugly

Because he is "still a little baby"

Because he goes against the family's wishes by marrying Liuli

Because he acts like an "American dog"
23 Who appears in Zhang Lin's room after Zhang Wei leaves?
Zhang Lin's mother, to discourage him from reaching out to Joe

Ming Xiaoli, to watch television shows

The PSB, to search his apartment for incriminating evidence

Liuli, wearing a red version of her dress
24 Why does Zhang Wei disapprove of Zhang Lin's relationship with Ming Xiaoli?
He thinks Zhang Lin is moving on too fast from Liuli

He worries Zhang Lin will catch Ming Xiaoli's infection

He thinks their age difference is inappropriate

He dislikes Xiaoli's affiliation with the Party
25 How does the tone of Joe's storyline contrast with the tone of Zhang Lin's?
Joe's story is tragic, whereas Zhang Lin's story is played for comedy

Joe's story is a romantic drama, whereas Zhang Lin's story is nostalgic

Joe's story is an exciting mystery, whereas Zhang Lin's story is depressing and hopeless

Joe's story is surreal, whereas Zhang Lin's story is grounded

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