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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator buy to put on the flag pole after Emperor Meiji’s death in Part II, My Parents and I?

2. Sensei’s landlady tells him that the reason she wanted a boarder was what in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

3. What is Sensei speaking of when he says they “are not meant to stir the air only: they are capable of moving greater things” in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

4. When Sensei returns from summer vacation after his first year in college, he finds K living in a dirty temple by what?

5. What word from the novel refers to a Japanese stringed instrument consisting of a rectangular wooden body over which are stretched silk strings?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does K confront Sensei about outside the library in Part III, Sensei’s Testament? How does Sensei respond?

2. What does Soseki’s father say after Soseki’s arrival to cause Soseki to feel remorse in Part II, My Parents and I?

3. How does Soseki’s father greet him when he arrives home in Part II, My Parents and I? What is Soseki’s impression?

4. What is revealed in K’s suicide note in Part III, Sensei’s Testament? How does Sensei react?

5. How does Sensei know K? How does K defy his parents’ wishes in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

6. How does Sensei go about getting approval to marry Ojosan? What is the result?

7. What happens with K’s family during their third summer holiday from school in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

8. What explanation does Sensei give for his lack of earlier response to Soseki’s letter in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

9. What are the conflicting objectives presented to Soseki by his mother in Part II, My Parents and I?

10. What does Sensei learn about K’s discovery of the engagement in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of Sensei in Kokoro. How old is Sensei when Soseki first approaches him? How is Sensei’s demeanor described? What does “Sensei” mean in general Japanese usage?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss women’s roles in Japan in 1912. How are the women in the novel depicted in regard to gender roles and subservience to men? How indicative is this illustration to the time period and Japanese culture? What changes were taking place in this regard during the Meiji era?

Essay Topic 3

Fathers and Sons in Kokoro

a. Discuss the relationship between Sensei and Soseki in the novel. How does this relationship resemble that of a father and son? How does Soseki compare his father to Sensei?

b. Compare and contrast Soseki and Sensei’s fathers in the novel. How are they similar? How do they differ?

(see the answer keys)

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