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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 did Komura read on the airplane?

2. What kind of business did Keisuke's parents own?

3. What best describes Keisuke?

4. What was notable about Yoshiya's mother's doctor?

5. Who does Yoshiya live with?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Miyake able to paint?

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

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

4. Describe Keisuke.

5. What is one of the realizations Yoshiya has on the pitcher's mound?

6. What happens to Yoshiya at the end of the story?

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

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

9. Describe Komura.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Murakami use music and literature as tools for characterization and theme exploration?

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

Consider the role of women in after the quake. Examine the text through a feminist lens, trying to find ways in which women advance the stories they are part of. How does Haruki Murakami approach women in these stories? What do you make of these depictions?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 548 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample