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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of these did Shonagon say gains by being painted?
(a) Cherry blossoms.
(b) Autumn fields.
(c) People praised in romances as being beautiful.
(d) Yellow roses.

2. Who recited the perfect lines at the gathering following the service dedicated to the late Chancellor?
(a) Shonagon.
(b) Tadanobu.
(c) The Emperor.
(d) Yukinari.

3. In "Things Without Merit" what item did Shonagon say was so vulgar that people wouldn't want her to mention it?
(a) Rice starch mixed with water.
(b) Blurred ink on fine paper.
(c) Overcooked seaweed.
(d) Festival rehearsals.

4. For what occasion did the Empress have to leave the Palace while they were in mourning for the Chancellor?
(a) The Dedication of the Texts.
(b) The Iris Festival.
(c) Her brother's wedding.
(d) The Great Purification.

5. Where did the wood for the batons for the new Chamberlains of the Sixth Rank come from?
(a) An abandoned house.
(b) The south-east corner of the Empress's Office.
(c) The Chamberlains cut it themselves.
(d) The woods surrounding the Palace.

6. Who did Shonagon say would not covet being a member of the Fifth Rank?
(a) Chamberlains of the Fourth Rank.
(b) Chamberlains of the Sixth Rank.
(c) Priests.
(d) Page boys.

7. What ruined the cherry blossoms used to decorate for the Dedication of the Full Canon?
(a) Common people.
(b) Insects.
(c) Birds.
(d) Rain.

8. Who came to check on the Empress due to the heavy snow even though it was an abstinence day?
(a) Tadanobu.
(b) Takaie.
(c) Masahiro.
(d) Korechika.

9. What did Shonagon say was the most splendid of all qualities, especially in men?
(a) Beauty.
(b) Intelligence.
(c) Sympathy.
(d) Charisma.

10. What did Masahiro hide behind a screen to eat?
(a) Fish.
(b) Rice.
(c) Seaweed.
(d) Beans.

11. What was pleasing about finding a torn up letter?
(a) When one discovered it wasn't from oneself.
(b) When one could piece it back together.
(c) The pattern it made on the ground.
(d) Burning the paper.

12. What did Shonagon say was a painful surprise on the morning after a fierce wind?
(a) Broken branches.
(b) A fallen tree.
(c) A knocked over fence.
(d) A disheveled garden.

13. What did Tadanobu say one was always sorry for in "It Was Late at Night?"
(a) An inadvertent remark.
(b) A poorly written poem.
(c) Visiting the ladies-in-waiting.
(d) Forgetting one's manners.

14. Who remarked to all the ladies gathered in the corridor to watch that it "must make [them] laugh to see the foolish old man?"
(a) The Emperor.
(b) Tadanobu.
(c) The Empress.
(d) The Chancellor.

15. What kind of flowers did the musicians wear in their head-dresses during the Festival at Kamo?
(a) Yellow roses.
(b) Irises.
(c) Wistaria.
(d) White roses.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "There Was a Man in the Corridor" what was the man's servant holding?

2. To whom did the Emperor pay his respects when he returned from his visit to Yawata?

3. When Shonagon first went into waiting, what was the only time of day she wanted to go before the Empress?

4. What did Shonagon say was pretty when it was mixed with pure white snow?

5. What did Shonagon say a woman's house should look like when she lived alone?

(see the answer keys)

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