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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. Who is Shimamura told has a girl living with her that may serve him instead of a geisha?

2. Where does Komako live?

3. What is Komako's room like?

4. Why does Komako bite her arm?

5. What does Komako tell Shimamura had worried her for a time?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Komako bite her own arm?

2. Why has Komako started working as a geisha, according to the person Kamako meets on his way home from Komako's room?

3. What are Komako's living arrangements like?

4. Describe Komako's situation at the time of her first meeting with Shimamura.

5. Why does Komako have to leave before daylight?

6. What distracts Shimamura after leaving his inn and the young geisha, and what does he do?

7. What has Komako cataloged since she was a teenager?

8. What kind of relationship does Shimamura apparently want with Komako?

9. While sitting on the train on his way to the resort town, what does Shimamura discreetly look at?

10. When Shimamura arrives for his second visit to the resort town, how many days does Komako say it has it been since she and Shimamura spent their night together, and how can she be sure of this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shimamura, the protagonist of the novel, is a complicated and distant character. Although the reader follows the story from Shimamura's point of view, his inner-thoughts are largely left a mystery. Discuss the characterization of the protagonist, Shimamura.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss art and culture as it relates to the novel. What traditional Japanese art and customs are mentioned in the novel? What significance do these examples have on the novel and characters?

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of ambiguous scenes and characters in the novel. Discuss the author's use of ambiguity and why you think he so often leaves it to the reader to interpret.

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