MYE Revision Ms Yasmeen

All her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation
in her family must ght. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom
swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralyzed in his
own duel. Then a messenger from the Emperor arrives, demanding that all families
send one soldier to ght the Rouran invaders in the north. Mulan’s father cannot go.
Her brother is just a child. So she ties up her hair, takes up her sword, and joins the
army as a man.

***

At the north gate, I report to the of cials in charge, give Father’s name, and watch as
they remove us from the list of households that have yet to contribute an able-bodied
male.

“So you are Hua Muyang, nineteen years of age?”

I need only to nod. But I hear myself say, “No. There must have been a mistake. My 5
name isn’t Hua Muyang, but Hua Mulan—the same characters as the ower.”

This does not please the of cial’s scribe, who needs to correct his copy of the roll,
and all the other copies back at the sub-prefecture. He sighs exaggeratedly, glances at
my horse, and writes my name, the correct one, on a new list.

That list of conscripts who have brought their own horses is given to two weathered 10
soldiers with broadswords and crossbows on their backs. One, named Gao, takes a
hard look at us. “So, you are the ones who are too precious to walk, eh?”

The other riders glance at one another.

Gao grins, revealing a missing front tooth. “Don’t worry. There’ll be enough misery
for everybody, and I’m not going to hold it against you for being luckier at the outset 15
of a war. But I do have to warn you—I’ll be handing over this list of names to the
record keepers at the encampment. And if your names get there but you somehow
don’t, the news will go right to your sub-prefect, and he’ll make poor men out of all
the fathers and uncles who have generously supplied you with horses. And then he’ll
drag those fathers and uncles off to take your places. 20

“So if you’re thinking of slipping away when I’m not looking, don’t. Even if my
colleague and I don’t pierce you with arrows as you ee, you will have nowhere to
return to and your families will curse you forever. Do you understand?”

Gao looks at us one more time and seems satis ed with the stricken expressions on
the faces of the young men around me. “All right, then, let’s waste no more time.” 25

We set out in two columns. I glance back at this nondescript Northern town I’d never
heard of before we arrived from the South. I feel no particular attachment to the
place, but my loved ones are inside, behind the high brick walls.

I have been away from home, but never away from my family.
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fl
MYE Revision Ms Yasmeen

I have been away from home, but never away from my family.

Will I ever see them again? 30

My earlier tears must have done some good: As I wrench my gaze away, my heart
throbs dully, but I’m no longer overwhelmed by grief. I need to look ahead. I need to
think about what I must do so that I can return home in one piece.

The day is bright and cold. We ride through a brown landscape, some stretches still
covered in snow. Every village and town on our way is quiet and empty, aching with 35
the absence of so many fathers, brothers, and sons.

We pass groups of conscripts marching in the same direction. Peasants, merchants,

even a few whose aire indicates that they are scholars. And so many boys my age or
younger. Some appear scared, some excited, the rest simply bewildered, as if they still
haven’t grasped what is happening. 40

At noon Gao leads us to an abandoned temple by the side of the road. We stagger off
our horses. Gao keeps watch on them; his comrade has his eye on us. Most of the
conscripts relieve themselves by the front wall of the temple, but I walk toward the
rear.

“Hey,” one conscript calls to me, “where are you going? You want an arrow in your 45
back?”

I give him a stare Father would be proud of. “I don’t like other people around when I
go. You have a problem with that?”

He blinks. His gaze ickers between my face and the sword at my back. Then he says
to the other conscripts, as if to cover his own embarrassment, “I was just being nice. 50
Guess that was wasted.”

At the back of the temple, even though I hear no one approaching —and none of the
men present can take a step without alerting me from thirty paces away—I hurry to
empty my bladder, my heart pounding. I don’t know what the punishment would be if
I’m discovered to be a woman, but I’m not eager to nd out. 55

When I’m done, I pant for a moment, relief coursing through my veins, and issue a
silent apology to the god of wealth, to whom the temple is dedicated. Ironically, the
god of wealth has fallen on hard times, the roof of his abode caved in, the gilt that
covered his statue all gone. I am reminded of the dilapidated shrine before which I last
fought Yuan Kai. 60
fl
fi
MYE Revision Ms Yasmeen

1 a) What genre is this text? Circle one answer.

Thriller

Fantasy

Dystopian

Legend
b) Give two features of the genre as seen in the text.

2 Look at lines 1 - 12.

a) What is the effect created by Mulan mentioning her name's characters being “the
same as the ower” in lines 5 - 6 ?

b) What does the word “scribe” mean in line 7?

c) What is the effect of using comma in lines 8 - 9 below?

He sighs exaggeratedly, glances at my horse, and writes my name, the correct one, on
a new list.
fl
MYE Revision Ms Yasmeen

3 Look at lines 17 - 19.

And if your names get there but you somehow don’t, the news will go right to your
sub-prefect, and he’ll make poor men out of all the fathers and uncles who have
generously supplied you with horses.

Name the literary technique used in the sentence above and explain its effect.
Literary technique:

Effect:

4 Look at lines 21 - 25.

What structural technique does the writer use to build tension between him and the
young men? Circle one answer.

Foreshadowing

Withholding information

Flashback

Short sentence
5 Look at lines 26 - 28.

Why does Mulan glance back at the Northern town before they set out?

6 Look at lines 29 - 33.

a) Which phrase tells us that Mulan is resilient and determined?

MYE Revision Ms Yasmeen

b) What does the phrase "my heart throbs dully" suggest about Mulan's emotional
state?

7 Based on the text, we know that Mulan is determined and resilient. How else is she
described? Give evidence to support your answer.
Description:

Evidence:

8 Look at lines 34 - 40.

a) What can you infer about the impact of war from the description of the villages and
towns?

b) How does the phrase “acting with the absence” contribute to the mood of the
passage?

9 Look at lines 41 - 51.

a) How does the writer’s use of dialogue contribute to the tension in the passage?
MYE Revision Ms Yasmeen

10 Look at lines 52 - 55.

a) Which phrase suggests that Mulan is a highly vigilant person?

b) What is the effect of using dash in lines above?