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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 Blackthorne say that he and Mariko are to Toranaga?

2. What does Toranaga say to Buntaro about Blackthorne's head.

3. What natural disaster helps Blackthorne understand the Japanese culture better?

4. Who is Zataki?

5. What honor does Toranaga grant Blackthorne?

Short Essay Questions

1. What instruction does Yodoko give Ochiba, the mother of Yaemon?

2. What are the circumstances that call off the attack against Mariko after the bomb goes off?

3. How does Toranaga attempt to make peace between Buntaro and Mariko?

4. Why is Buntaro so antagonistic toward Blackthorne?

5. How does Omi further attempt to ingratiate himself with Lord Toranaga?

6. What is the problem between Toranaga and his half-brother Zataki?

7. What action on the part of Martin Alvito raises Blackthorne's suspicions?

8. How does Toranaga respond to Ishido's demand that he come to Osaka?

9. What does Blackthorne find when he is given permission to visit his crew from the Erasmus?

10. What unusual battle plan does Toranaga come up with to use against Ishido?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, The Irony of Omi and Yabu. Begin with Omi's wanting to kill his uncle at the very beginning of the novel. Detail how Omi carries out Yabu's orders even though he despises him. Next point should be that it is Omi who brings the samurai to Toranaga whose testimony brings Yabu down. Conclude with the irony of Yabu naming Omi as his heir and selecting him to be his second at his seppuku.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Feudalism in Shōgun. Your points should include the use of peasants as slave labor, the exorbitant taxes placed on them, and the fear the ruling class has at the idea of peasants having access to guns.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Blackthorne: an Honest Man in a Dishonest World. First point out Blackthorne's good actions like insisting on finding Rodrigues after he was swept overboard and attempting to commit seppuku unless the peasants are released from the sentence of Yabu. Mention the struggle with his conscience when he does not tell the full truth to Friar Domingo. Then go to the way both Toranaga and Mariko deceive him in the novel. Conclude with an evaluation of his overall character as you see him.

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