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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. Who is Yuu's mother?

2. What does Natsuki remember Yuu telling her when they parted ways at the mountain house?

3. What food does Natsuki eat around the mountain house?

4. What is Natsuki's most prized possession?

5. Which relatives of Natsuki's own the mountain house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Yuu tell Natsuki he believes about himself that makes him special?

2. What is really unusual about Natsuki's and Tomoya's marriage?

3. Why do Natsuki and her family leave Akishina early in Part I?

4. Why do all the adults in Natsuki's family get so angry and upset with her and Yuu?

5. What is Yuu's problem with Mitsuko?

6. What vow do Yuu and Natsuki make to each other?

7. What refrain does Natsuki constantly repeat to her mother to please her?

8. In Part II, what "lesson" does Mr. Igasaki give to Natsuki at his home?

9. How do Natsuki and Tomoya meet?

10. Which relative is always kind to the children in Natsuki's family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the sources of both Tomoya's and Natsuki's unconventional views about marriage and childbearing? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

How and why does Murata establish Akishina as a refuge and a place of comfort and solace for Natsuki in the early stages of the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Murata establish the reader's expectation for Natsuki's unconventional life path early on in the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 500 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample