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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. As a boy, what does the narrator associate with the idea of love?

2. The narrator is concerned his lack of interest in women stems from what?

3. With whom is the narrator typically allowed to play as a child?

4. What type of visual pornography does the narrator hide at his home?

5. What weapon is used to kill Sebastian for good?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator choose not to volunteer as a special cadet?

2. What is the reaction of his family when the narrator dresses up as the magician, Tenkatsu?

3. When the other boys are impressed with the narrator's crass remarks about sex, how does the narrator feel?

4. Why does the narrator feel he has gone through life fooling not just others, but himself?

5. When Omi and the narrator lock eyes during a game of "King of the Hill," what does the narrator imagine has taken place?

6. Describe the outfits the boys have to wear to school on "ceremony day"?

7. How is the grandmother affected when the narrator moves in with his father?

8. What attracts the narrator to soldiers as a youth?

9. After witnessing Omi perform on the gym bars, why does the narrator decide he is no longer in love with him?

10. Why does the narrator feel he has cheated his way through life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although the narrator fears death, the life he lives is not his own. Write an essay supporting the argument that the narrator lives as though he is already dead.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator is surrounded by feminine influence, yet certain social cues teach him how a boy "should" act.

1) Who provides the narrator with these social cues?

2) What does the narrator do to act out his gender expectations?

3) In what ways does the narrator struggle against his gender identity?

Essay Topic 3

The war changes the country of Japan and those who experienced it.

1) Describe the country as it was before the war.

2) Explain how the war changes the people of Japan.

3) Explain how the war changes the narrator.

(see the answer keys)

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