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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. After witnessing Omi on the gym bars, what does the narrator feel for him?

2. After the battle, what does Omi do to the narrator?

3. What does the narrator find attractive about Sumiko?

4. Why does the narrator masturbate in class?

5. What word does the narrator use to describe the occupation of a night-soil man?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the narrator's opportunity to live with his father cut short?

2. Regarding his obsession with death, what does the narrator discover when he reaches puberty?

3. Why do the narrator's parents keep him from living in the dormitories at school?

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

5. While in school with Omi, what type of boy is the narrator attracted to?

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

7. Over the summer, the narrator realizes his love for Omi may actually be what?

8. Why is the narrator fascinated by the idea of death?

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

10. What attracts the narrator to the disinterested girl on the bus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Upon meeting Omi, the narrator is confronted with sexual feelings for the boy.

1) What intimate moment do Omi and the narrator share that begins their friendship?

2) What attracts the narrator to Omi?

3) How does this attraction affect the narrator?

Essay Topic 3

The picture of Joan of Arc fascinates the narrator in one of his earlier memories. Upon learning the knight in the photograph is a woman, the narrator loses interest in it. Why?

(see the answer keys)

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