BattleBook+Jenny+J

Basic Information
Title: Year of Impossible Goodbyes Author: Sook Nyul Choi (Korean) Pages: 169 Setting: North and South Korea

Easy Questions (10)
//Q1: What is the name of the main character's younger brother? How old is he?//

A1: Inchun, 7 years old

//Q2: What was the name of the American priest whom both Sookan's mother and Aunt Tiger talked about?//

A2: Father Carroll

//Q3: What does Sookan's mother prepare as Haiwon's birthday present?//

A3: A picture book about saints and angels from Theresa's convent

//Q4: Why does Narita Sensei confiscate Sookan's lunch box?//

A4: Sookan was trying to share her food with a fellow classmate.

//Q5: What is the name of the Japanese anthem, as used in the book?//

A5: "Kimigayo"

//Q6: What were "reluctant" followers of communism called in Kirimni?//

A6: "Phony Reds" or "Pinks"

//Q7: What is the name of the very first Russian soldier Sookan encounters?//

A7: Ivan Malenkiv

//Q8: What is Sookan's Japanese name?//

A8: Aoki Shizue

//Q9: What does the old man at the train station give to Sookan and Inchun before they leave to escape to the South?//

A9: Rice cake

//Q10: What was Jaechun suffering from?//

A10: Tuberculosis

Challenge Questions (5)
Comparing: How are Sookan's reactions to the Japanese and the Russians similar/different? Inferring: What is Kisa's role within the novel, and why would the author have included him in the storyline? Sequencing: How is foreign influence portrayed in the novel, and how is it affecting Korea today? Judgments: Was it right for Sookan and her family to escape? If so, what is the difference between the Russian-controlled Korea and the American-controlled Korea? Evaluation: What does grandfather's tree symbolize?