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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. What is the name of the city that Nakata is trying to reach by hitchhiking?

2. What is the name of the city that Kafka runs away to?

3. What is the name of the cat that was run over by a bicycle and is now a bit slow?

4. Which of the following facts is NOT true about Nakata?

5. Which of the following activities is NOT a part of Kafka's daily routine?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Sakura?

2. How does Kafka negotiate a cheaper rate at the hotel where he is staying?

3. Who is Adolf Eichmann, and what note did Oshima scribble in the margins of his book?

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

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

6. What does Johnny Walker keep stored in his walk-in freezer?

7. What are the themes of the song "Kafka on the Shore"?

8. In what state does Oshima find Kafka when he returns to the cabin to bring Kafka home?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, Oshima states that "imagination is a powerful force". First, explain what Oshima means by this statement. Then, explain how imagination leaves Kafka feeling emotionally responsible for two terrible events that occur, even though he is not physically responsible for them.

Essay Topic 2

Through the use of the entrance stone, Nakata realizes that humans can fully interact with the spirit world. First, explain how Nakata got his hands on the entrance stone. Then, explain how Nakata figured out how to use the entrance stone. Finally, explain what Nakata learned about himself through the use of the entrance stone.

Essay Topic 3

When Kafka is still a young child, he decides to run away from home. First, explain the circumstances leading up to Kafka's decision to leave home. Then, describe the items Kafka took with him during his escape and the process through which he chose these items. Finally, describe at least two characters that helped Kafka during the initial days of his plan.

(see the answer keys)

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