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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. How old was Nakata when his mentor died, closing the shop where they both worked?

2. Which part of the paralyzed cats' bodies does Johnny Walker eat while Nakata looks on, horrified?

3. Which of the following items is NOT something Kafka steals from his father before running away?

4. Which direction does Nakata want to travel on the Tomei Highway?

5. What does Natsume Soseki do for a living?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Kafka wakes from a blackout at a religious shrine?

2. What does Kafka steal from his father before he runs away from home?

3. How does Johnny Walker entice Nakata to kill him?

4. What trade did Nakata learn when he was in elementary school?

5. What happened to all of Nakata's money after he lost his job?

6. What happened to the man that Mrs. Saeki fell in love with as a teenager?

7. How does the police officer on duty react to Nakata's confession of stabbing a man to death?

8. What information does Kafka provide to Sakura about his sister?

9. In what situation is it possible for a body and soul to become separated without the body dying?

10. How does Crow react to Kafka's fear when he is alone in the cabin in the woods?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, the repercussions of sleepwalking affect the characters. Choose at least two scenes in which a character commits a devious act while sleeping and compare / contrast the effects this action has on the character's life. Then, explain how the subconscious of the characters responds to the deepest desires of that character's soul.

Essay Topic 2

Mrs. Saeki's song proves to be the thread that unifies all of the story lines in this novel. Choose at least two key elements of Mrs. Saeki's song and explain how these elements tie the story lines of Nakata and Kafka together. Then, explain whether or not you believe Mrs. Saeki's song is significant enough to warrant the title of this novel, and why.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the text, Oshima is a wealth of literary knowledge. Choose at least two literary works that Oshima discusses, and explain what he teaches Kafka about each work. Then, explain what Oshima means when he says that "there is such a thing as metaphor in the corporeal world." How does this statement apply to the novel as a whole?

(see the answer keys)

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