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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 long have Yoko, Ko, and mother been at the refugee camp?

2. Why can't Yoko go to the hotel alone?

3. What does Ko miss about the train station?

4. In Chapter 7, what does Yoko see for the first time once in Japan?

5. Where does the ship on which Yoko, Ko, and Mother were on dock?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Yoko's friendship with Mr. Naido.

2. What are the physical and psychological obstacles facing Hideyo in Chapter 6?

3. What evidence is there that deep down, Ko is still a young girl?

4. How does Ko demonstrate the importance of respect in Japanese culture?

5. At this point in the story, what defines "normal" for Yoko and Ko?

6. Why do you think Hideyo is so attached to Yoko's fur coat?

7. What rituals and traditions do Yoko and Ko perform in honor of New Year's? What significance do they have?

8. Describe the emotions Ko and Yoko experience in the first few pages of Chapter 9.

9. How would you characterize Yoko's classmates' experience during the final months of the war based on the way she is received?

10. How does Ko continue to demonstrate her survival instincts in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does family play in the book? How is the importance of family symbolized? At what cost does the family try to stay together? Are there characters in the book who are not blood relatives but act as such? Give specific examples.

Essay Topic 2

What role do Japanese customs and traditions play in the book? Are there instances in which Yoko and her family might have acted differently had they not felt obligated to stay true to their heritage? Cite specific examples.

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Yoko titled her essay "Understanding?" Do you think a different title would have been more fitting? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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