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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. Why was MM unable to prepare Fujiwara's mourning clothes?

2. What did MM take special care to teach her adopted daughter?

3. During her depression after Fujiwara's illness in Book Two, to where did MM make an enjoyable pilgrimage?

4. What distressed MM the most after Fujiwara's promotion?

5. Who offered to escort MM home (though she declined)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was significant about MM's prediction about her death?

2. On New Year's Day, what did MM attempt in order to garner a better year for her and her family?

3. What happened when MM's neighborhood caught on fire?

4. Why was MM depressed after returning from the Hase temple?

5. What was MM's mood when she returned home after her long seclusion and why?

6. About what did MM and Fujiwara argue during his long illness?

7. How did MM and Michitsuna both react to their secluded retreat?

8. Why was MM conflicted in the monastery, amid Fujiwara's pleas for her to come home?

9. How did Michitsuna fare at the archery contest?

10. Describe Michitsuna's courtship with the woman in the carriage.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compose an essay that dissects Fujiwara's personality from the reader's point of view as well as MM's perspective. How do the differences in perception help form an accurate picture of his character?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the ways in which the politics of the Heian period were linked to religious matters.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the roles jealousy and humiliation played in MM's life in regards to her relationships with her husband, family, attendants, and other women.

(see the answer keys)

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