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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 following is NOT something Hoshino does to pass the time while Nakata sleeps?

2. Who closes the entrance stone?

3. Who was Mrs. Saeki trying to save when she opened the entrance stone?

4. Where does Hoshino promise to take Nakata when things blow over with the police?

5. How was Mrs. Saeki punished for opening the entrance stone?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Colonel Sanders bring Hoshino to the religious shrine?

2. How does Mrs. Saeki convince Kafka to leave the world of the deserted village and go back where he belongs?

3. How do Nakata and Hoshino know that the entrance stone is working?

4. What happened to the two soldiers that went for a walk in the woods surrounding Oshima's cabin?

5. How does Mrs. Saeki react when Kafka confronts her about the possibility that she is his mother?

6. How does Hoshino care for Nakata after he dies?

7. How does Colonel Sanders explain his physical form to Hoshino?

8. How does Kafka react to the desolate village that the Japanese soldiers guide him to?

9. While wandering through the woods, what disturbing dream does Kafka have about Sakura?

10. What does Kafka decide to do with his life after emerging from Limbo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, there is great mystery surrounding who killed Japan's most famous sculptor. First, describe how the murder occurs, and who the two main suspects are. Then, explain how Murakami uses this murder with two other major events in the novel - Johnny Walker's murder and Kafka waking up covered in blood. How do these connections add to the suspense of the novel as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

The woods surrounding Oshima's cabin are a place of great wonder to Kafka. First, explain Kafka's initial reaction to the woods and explain how his opinion of this place changed throughout the course of the novel. Then, give at least two examples of lessons Kafka learned about nature due to the time he spent in Oshima's woods.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 906 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample