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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. How many children does Miyake have?

2. How frequently did Miyake shop?

3. What best describes Keisuke?

4. According to Yoshiya's mother, who saved her?

5. Which character's thoughts does the reader have access to in this story?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Shimao respond to Komura saying that he's come a long way?

2. Describe Yoshiya's relationship with his mother.

3. What did Yoshiya pray for each night?

4. What does the note Komura's wife left behind say?

5. What did Mr. Tabata tell Yoshiya about his father?

6. Describe Yoshiya's predicament when he wakes up at the beginning of the story.

7. How did Komura's wife feel about Tokyo?

8. Describe Komura.

9. What do Miyake and Junko decide to do after the fire dies down?

10. Why did Yoshiya not believe he was the child of God?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several people in Murakami's stories are described as "ordinary." In after the quake, what does it mean to be ordinary? What do the "ordinary" characters have in common? What do you think Murakami means by this?

Essay Topic 2

Mr. Tabata says, "This life is nothing but a short, painful dream" (67). How does this relate to each of the stories in after the quake?

Essay Topic 3

Assess the power of shared experiences in shaping diverse personal narratives. How does the Kobe earthquake unify these stories and the characters in them?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 550 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample