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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 long does Kafka spend unattended at Oshima's cottage?

2. Which famous artist is discovered stabbed to death in his home on the day fish fall from the sky?

3. What is the name of Kafka's imaginary companion?

4. What word fills in the note that Oshima wrote in the margins of Kafka's book: "One must act responsibly for one's ________"?

5. What career path made Adolf Eichmann famous?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Kafka react when Sakura begins telling him about her boyfriend, who lives in Tokyo?

2. How does Kafka react to the presence of the young woman's spirit in his bedroom?

3. How does Nakata react to Johnny Walker's request to kill him?

4. What is Goma?

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

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

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

8. What does the elementary school teacher admit is the truth of what happened to Nakata in the woods?

9. Who is Hoshino, and why does he decide to take Nakata on the road with him?

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

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

Johnny Walker is a malevolent character who seeks entrance to the afterlife. First, describe the character of Johnny Walker and the way that he meets Nakata. Then, explain the way that Johnny Walker has been living and through what means he steals the souls of living creatures. Finally, explain why Nakata was given no choice but to kill Johnny Walker.

Essay Topic 3

Nakata, like Kafka, is a man haunted by his past. First, describe the event that altered Nakata's life forever. Then, explain how this disastrous event affected Nakata's life into adulthood. What ailments continued to plague Nakata long after the event occurred?

(see the answer keys)

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