View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Yoshiya's last utterance in "all god's children can dance"?

2. How long after the earthquake did Komura's wife disappear?

3. Who "gave himself to the flow of time" (67)?

4. According to Mr. Tabata, what did Yoshiya have to do to have his father revealed to him?

5. According to Yoshiya, who is his father?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Miyake never stock up on groceries?

2. What does Miyake say when Junko asks her to wake her up?

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

4. Why does Yoshiya still live with his mother?

5. How does Shimao reassure Komura?

6. What joke does Shimao make about what's inside the package Komura delivered?

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

8. Why does Sasaki want Komura to go to Hokkaido?

9. Describe Komura.

10. What does Mr. Tabata say about Yoshiya's mother's pregnancy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the ways four different characters in this book cope with trauma. How does Murakami portray trauma?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Some stories, like "super-frog saves tokyo," blend reality with surreal elements. Analyze how Murakami intertwines reality and fantasy to communicate deeper truths.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 564 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample