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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 kind of sake does Kei bring out to drink to cheer Kohtake up?

2. Where does Kei return from that Nagare feels he cannot accompany her to in the section titled The Sisters?

3. What does Hirai tell Kumi that shocks Kumi in Part IV?

4. What does Kohtake do for a living?

5. Why did Fusagi write such short letters to Kohtake?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nagare ask Hirai that stops her in her tracks in Part IV?

2. How is Hirai acting when she comes to the cafe straight from her sister's funeral?

3. Why was Kumi always visiting Hirai, and why did Hirai often avoid her?

4. What explanation does Hirai eventually give for her strange behavior at the cafe in Part IV?

5. What does Kohtake tell Fusagi out of a sense of love and loyalty in Part III about his illness when she time travels?

6. What does Kazu tell Kohtake about Fusagi's reasons for wanting to return to the past in Part III?

7. What natural gift does Hirai have that seems to serve her well in business?

8. How would you describe the relationship between Kohtake, Kazu and Kei?

9. Why does Hirai think Kumi wants to convince her to come back to help run the family business?

10. What does Kei have that Hirai desperately wants to see?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do you think the rule that nothing that happens when a person travels back in time in the cafe can change the present or future is really true by the end of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 2

What do you think Kawaguchi is trying to communicate to the reader about time travel through the existence and actions of the cafe's ghost? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Kawaguchi use flashbacks to help develop his characters throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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