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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. Where does the narrator say he and the girl got on the subway when asked by the subway attendant?

2. What does the narrator's shadow say he can't do?

3. What does the Caretaker of the Power Station make for his guests in Chapter 28?

4. What does the narrator first notice about the musical instruments?

5. What song does the narrator listen to just before falling asleep at the waterfront?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain what the narrator thinks about the stars as he is making his way through the underground escape route towards the end of Chapter 29.

2. What doubts about leaving the Town does the narrator voice to his shadow in Chapter 32?

3. What does the chubby girl plan to do once the narrator loses consciousness, and why?

4. Describe how the narrator's shadow is living at the beginning of Chapter 32.

5. Why does the librarian wake the narrator up in the middle of the night at the beginning of Chapter 37? Explain what happens and how the librarian and narrator react.

6. What does the narrator tell the librarian about why he got divorced?

7. Describe the scene when the narrator first enters the laundromat.

8. Describe the taxi that picks up the narrator and the chubby girl after the exit from the underground in Chapter 31.

9. How does the narrator whistling "I Go to Pieces" in Chapter 29 relate to the overall storyline?

10. Explain what the Colonel tells the narrator about the digging of the hole in Chapter 30.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the first two chapters of the book. In the first chapter, the narrator is stuck in an elevator. In the second chapter, the beasts and the coming of autumn are described. Compare and contrast the tone of both of these chapters.

Essay Topic 2

Giving specific details from the story, explain how Murakami leaves the novel somewhat open-ended and explain what you think might have happened to each of the narrators.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the video game the Tokyo narrator plays while waiting for his date with the librarian and draw parallels to his own situation. Describe the video game the Tokyo narrator plays while waiting for his date with the librarian and draw parallels to his own situation.

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