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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. When Mrs. Saeki rests her hand on Nakata's chest, what rushes into him?

2. What classical musician is the topic of conversation at the coffee shop that Hoshino frequents?

3. Whose home does the cabin in the desolate village remind Kafka of?

4. Where does Oshima find a copy of Mrs. Saeki's hit song on vinyl?

5. What does the word "Kafka" translate to from Czech?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mrs. Saeki respond when Nakata bursts into her office demanding to talk about the entrance stone?

2. What is the origin of Kafka's name?

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

4. How does evil try to escape Limbo?

5. What arrangements does Colonel Sanders make for Nakata and Hoshino while the police are on their manhunt?

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

7. What does Mrs. Saeki ask Nakata to do with her memoirs?

8. What happens when Crow encounters Johnny Walker in the enchanted woods?

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

10. Why did Mrs. Saeki first open the entrance stone?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the text, Oshima is a wealth of literary knowledge. Choose at least two literary works that Oshima discusses, and explain what he teaches Kafka about each work. Then, explain what Oshima means when he says that "there is such a thing as metaphor in the corporeal world." How does this statement apply to the novel as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

While at the cabin, Oshima gives Kafka an ominous warning about the soldiers who visited these woods during the war. According to history, what happened to these soldiers when they were in Oshima's woods? What is Oshima worried will happen to Kafka if he ventures too far away from the cabin?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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