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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 library where Mrs. Saeki works?

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

3. Which of the following books does Kafka read in the hotel room where he is sleeping?

4. In which Japanese city does Kafka live?

5. Where does Johnny Walker keep the severed heads of the cats he has sacrificed?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Kafka spend his first day of freedom in the city?

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

5. What warning does Oshima give to Kafka before dropping him off at the cabin in the woods?

6. What note does Sakura leave for Kafka when she leaves for work in the morning?

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

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

9. What regimen does Kafka adopt and exercise everyday that he is away from home?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

There are many talking animals in this novel. First, create a list of animal characters and explain their role within the novel. Then, discuss your reaction to the presence of talking animals in an adult novel. Was their integration into the storyline successful? Why or why not? How does their presence make this novel fit into the genre of magical realism?

Essay Topic 3

In the Prologue to this novel, Kafka warns his friend, Crow, that "Fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions." What did Kafka mean when he gave his friend this warning? Explain this quote and give at least two examples from the text that exemplify this theory.

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