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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. The narrator begins Chapter 5 with a lengthy discussion about the quality of which object?

2. What did the narrator loose upon arriving in the Town?

3. How does the Librarian feel about the Pool?

4. Where do the narrator and the Librarian look for a musical instrument?

5. What is it about the poster of Frankfurt at the supermarket that makes the narrator uneasy?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the source of the noise that dominates the first half of Chapter 23?

2. What does Junior tell the narrator to tell the System about their visit and the wound? Why?

3. Explain the significance of the paperclips in Chapter 21.

4. What do you know about the Pool based on your readings in Chapter 12?

5. Describe where the narrator's shadow lives.

6. Describe the differences between Western and Eastern unicorns as presented in Chapter 9.

7. What does the narrator's conversation with the Librarian about where he came from tell the reader about the nature of the Town?

8. What does the narrator realize in Chapter 17 about Junior's reference to a "time bomb"?

9. Describe the process for reading dreams.

10. Give a brief description of the beasts introduced in Chapter 2.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how the phrase "the End of the World" is used to link the two storylines together and explain what the end of the world really is.

Essay Topic 2

Describe what the narrator refers to in Chapter 35 as "despair", "disillusionment" and "hell" and explain why he says he's unable to create a better life for himself.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the author's attention to the physical needs of the characters in each storyline and explain how Murakami's depictions add to the overall effect of the story.

(see the answer keys)

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