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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 Bird identify himself as when he arrives at the hospital?

2. What awakens Himiko from his sleep?

3. Bird gives up on the bus and get to Hamiko's room via ________________.

4. How many shots of whiskey does Bird drink in quick succession?

5. What condition does the new baby have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did the author give names to only a few of the characters?

2. Who is Delchef and how is he introduced into the story?

3. How is sex and sexuality a means for Bird to avoid responsibility?

4. What do the giggling doctor and the one-eyed doctor symbolize in the story?

5. What does Bird's father-in-law give to Bird during the visit and why is this an unlikely offering given Bird's troubles with addiction?

6. In what ways could the women at the maternity hospital be symbolized as angels?

7. How is Bird's encounter with the gang a boost to his flailing ego?

8. What does Bird think about after he leaves the shop and how does he avoid learning about the birth of his child?

9. How does the doctor exhibit insensitivity toward Bird about the baby on the way to the hospital?

10. What is important foreshadowing regarding the tests of strength and Bird's encounter with the gang?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain what it means that Bird is a man who keeps running away. In what areas does Bird seemingly fail? How does Bird feel about these failures? What is the turning point where Bird refuses to run away any longer?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role of the family in A PERSONAL MATTER. What does it mean for each of the main characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other? How typical is this family to most Japanese families living during the 1960s?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in 1960s Japan when the women in the novel are living their lives. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have?

(see the answer keys)

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