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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. Which of the elementary school teacher's relatives was drafted to fight in the war on the day the children collapsed in the woods?

2. What is the name of the woods where Oshima owns a cabin?

3. What type of animal is Goma?

4. What is the name of the shy man who helps Nakata onto the train and gets him headed in the right direction?

5. Which of the following facts is NOT true about Oshima's cabin in the woods?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Goma?

2. What happened to the elementary school teacher and her class in November, 1944?

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

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

5. What realization does the white cat, Otsuka, make about Nakata?

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

7. What advice does Crow give to Kafka before they run away together?

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

9. What unusual prophecy does Nakata make before leaving the police station?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Kafka is homeless, he lives many places. Choose two of the places Kafka lives after leaving his home and compare / contrast the settings. Then, explain what Kafka learns about himself directly through his experiences in these varied settings.

Essay Topic 2

When Kafka was a young boy, his father made two prophecies about him. First, explain what the two prophecies were and what Kafka's reactions were to the prophecies. Then, explain whether or not these prophecies came true, and what the reader learned about Kafka through this process.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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