A Song to Drown Rivers Quiz – 20 Questions

Plot & Sequence Questions (8)

1. (Multiple choice) How does Xishi first encounter Fanli in Chapter One?
A) He visits her home to recruit her as a spy.
B) She saves him from a Wu soldier.
C) He disarms a Wu soldier who was chasing an orphan girl.
D) He buys silk from her at the river market.

2. (Short answer) What does Xishi demand from Fanli before she agrees to leave her village in Chapter Three?

3. (Multiple choice) During the assassination attempt in Chapter Nine, Xishi is wounded because she:
A) Tries to escape and trips on a root.
B) Steps in front of Fanli to warn him of an archer.
C) Is struck by a stray arrow while hiding.
D) Takes a sword blow meant for Zhengdan.

4. (Multiple choice) At King Fuchai’s birthday celebration, Xishi’s original embroidered cloth gift is sabotaged. What does she substitute at the last moment?
A) A jade pendant.
B) A smooth pebble.
C) A folded love poem.
D) A bolt of silver silk.

5. (Short answer) What fatal mistake does Xishi make when she and Fuchai become intimate in Chapter Sixteen?

6. (Multiple choice) In Chapter Seventeen, how does King Fuchai test Xishi’s loyalty?
A) He forces her to denounce Yue in front of the court.
B) He stabs Fanli in front of her and watches her reaction.
C) He orders her to kill a Yue prisoner.
D) He asks her to marry Wu Zixu.

7. (Multiple choice) Zhengdan dies in Chapter Eighteen because:
A) She is killed in a duel with General Ma.
B) She is poisoned after being framed by General Ma.
C) She takes a poison meant for Xishi.
D) She falls from the canal bridge during a struggle.

8. (Short answer) In Chapter Twenty-Four, who orders Xishi’s assassination, and how is she killed?

Character Motivation Questions (5)

9. (Multiple choice) Xishi agrees to become a spy bride for Wu primarily because:
A) Fanli threatens to harm her family.
B) She wants to escape poverty.
C) She seeks revenge for her sister Susu’s death.
D) King Goujian promises her a title.

10. (Multiple choice) Fanli trains Xishi in emotional control and swordsmanship because:
A) He wants her to be able to defend herself.
B) He hopes she will eventually join his army.
C) The mission requires her to deceive the Wu court and spy on their military.
D) King Goujian orders him to teach her all courtly arts.

11. (Short answer) Why does Zhengdan challenge General Ma to a duel in Chapter Sixteen?

12. (Multiple choice) King Fuchai continues to trust Xishi even after Wu Zixu warns him because:
A) He is lonely and genuinely loves her.
B) He believes she can help him conquer Yue.
C) He is afraid of her beauty.
D) He wants to use her to spy on Wu Zixu.

13. (Multiple choice) King Goujian orders Xishi’s death because:
A) She refuses to return to Yue.
B) He fears she knows too much and might betray him.
C) She falls in love with Fuchai.
D) The Wu royal family demands her execution.

Theme & Symbol Questions (4)

14. (Multiple choice) The veil that Xishi wears in Chapter One most directly symbolizes:
A) Her shame about her family’s poverty.
B) The danger of her beauty and the need for concealment.
C) Her desire to hide her identity from the Wu.
D) The cultural tradition of silk washing.

15. (Multiple choice) The river that appears throughout the novel (the opening river, the canal, the drowning site) primarily represents:
A) The passage of time and inevitable change.
B) The boundary between life and death, and the cost of ambition.
C) The economic prosperity of the Wu kingdom.
D) Xishi’s longing to return to her childhood home.

16. (Short answer) Explain the “hunting dog” proverb that Wu Zixu recites before his suicide in Chapter Nineteen, and how it foreshadows Xishi’s fate.

17. (Multiple choice) Fanli’s sword inscription, “The mind destroys; the heart devours,” suggests that:
A) Intellectual strategy is more powerful than emotion.
B) Both rational control and emotional desire can be destructive if mismanaged.
C) Only the heart can truly consume a person.
D) The mind must always conquer the heart.

Synthesis Questions (3)

18. (Short answer) Compare the roles of Fanli and Fuchai in Xishi’s life. How does each man represent a different kind of love and a different sacrifice?

19. (Multiple choice) The novel’s ending, with Xishi’s ghost waiting for Fanli at the Yellow Springs, most strongly emphasizes:
A) That true love can transcend death and betrayal.
B) That revenge is ultimately meaningless.
C) That political power corrupts all characters.
D) That beauty is the only eternal value.

20. (Short answer) What do you think Ann Liang suggests about the cost of war and heroism through Xishi’s journey? Cite one specific event from the final chapters.

Answer Key

1. C – In Chapter One, the mysterious stranger (Fanli) disarms the Wu soldier chasing Wuyuan.

2. She demands that Fanli provide her parents with the finest rice, fresh fish, duck meat, lamb, a cane for her father, warm bedding, and roof repairs. (Chapter Three)

3. B – She warns Fanli of an archer and is shot in the shoulder instead. (Chapter Nine)

4. B – After her embroidered cloth is slashed, she substitutes a smooth pebble as a gift. (Chapter Twelve)

5. She accidentally says Fanli’s name while Fuchai is kissing her. (Chapter Sixteen)

6. B – Fuchai stabs Fanli in front of Xishi and watches her reaction to test her loyalty. (Chapter Seventeen)

7. B – Zhengdan is poisoned after being framed by General Ma. (Chapter Eighteen)

8. King Goujian orders her death; an assassin binds her with stones and drowns her in the river. (Chapter Twenty-Four)

9. C – Xishi is driven by revenge for her sister Susu, who was killed by Wu soldiers. (Chapter Three)

10. C – The mission requires her to deceive the Wu court and spy on their military. Fanli teaches her to hide emotions and later train in swordsmanship to monitor military intelligence. (Chapters Four–Five)

11. Because General Ma killed her father, and she seeks revenge. (Chapter Sixteen)

12. A – Fuchai is lonely and genuinely loves Xishi, which makes him overlook the warnings. (Chapter Thirteen, Sixteen)

13. B – Goujian fears Xishi knows too much about his methods and might betray him later. (Chapter Twenty-Four)

14. B – The veil symbolizes the danger of her beauty and the need to conceal it to avoid harm. (Chapter One)

15. B – The river represents the boundary between life and death (e.g., the drowning) and the cost of ambition (the canal scheme). It is a recurring symbol of sacrifice and consequence.

16. Wu Zixu says, “After the cunning hare is caught, the hunting dog is cooked.” This proverb foreshadows that once Xishi’s usefulness to King Goujian ends, he will discard her—which he does by ordering her murder. (Chapter Nineteen, echoed in Chapter Twenty-Four)

17. B – The inscription argues that both rational calculation (the mind) and passionate desire (the heart) can destroy a person if not balanced. Fanli’s own struggle and Xishi’s fate illustrate this.

18. Fanli represents a forbidden, sacrificial love built on shared purpose and training; he pushes Xishi toward her mission and ultimately loses her. Fuchai represents a possessive, genuine love that blinds him to her betrayal; he gives her everything and dies at her hand. Both men sacrifice themselves—Fanli loses his beloved, Fuchai loses his kingdom and life.

19. A – The reunion at the Yellow Springs emphasizes that love can transcend death and betrayal. Despite all the political manipulation, the story ends with the lovers together beyond the mortal world.

20. Answers may vary, but strong responses will cite a specific event such as Zhengdan’s mother confronting Xishi (calling war a tool for kings, not commoners) or Xishi’s own death at the hands of the king she helped. These moments suggest that heroism often comes with a personal cost, and war benefits the powerful while consuming the foot soldiers—and even the “heroes.” (Chapter Twenty-Four)