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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 many siblings does the narrator tell Sensei he has in Part I: Sensei and I?

2. When the narrator first sees Sensei at a teahouse by the beach, he says that two days previously he had gone where?

3. How often does Sensei go to the cemetery to visit his friend’s grave?

4. What type of tree in the cemetery does Sensei make a point of walking past every time he visits his friend’s grave, according to the narrator in Part I: Sensei and I?

5. Why is the narrator’s vacationing student friend called home in the beginning of Part I: Sensei and I?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sensei ask Soseki on their walk in the tree nursery after Soseki has completed his thesis in Part I, Sensei and I?

2. Why does Soseki want to know about Sensei’s past? What conversation takes place regarding trust at the tree nursery in Part I, Sensei and I?

3. How does Sensei respond when the narrator asks him to clarify his meaning of “guilt” in Part I, Sensei and I?

4. Why does the narrator return home in Part I, Sensei and I? How does he depict his first days there?

5. Soseki has said that he is often disappointed by Sensei’s responses. How is this illustrated after Soseki visits Sensei after completing his term paper in Part I, Sensei and I?

6. Who is the translator of Kokoro? What reasons does he give for his Soseki’s biographical information in the book’s Forward?

7. What is the narrative point-of-view in Kokoro? How is this perspective fitting for the novel?

8. Where is Sensei when the narrator first goes to his home in Tokyo? Where does the narrator eventually find Sensei?

9. What does Sensei’s wife reveal about her feelings for her husband while she and Soseki are in the house watching for burglars in Part I, Sensei and I?

10. How does the narrator perceive Sensei’s relationship with his wife in Part I, Sensei and I?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the Emperor Meiji and the Meiji era. How did Japan change as a society during this historical period? What were Japan’s relationships with neighboring nations? How is this era embodied in Kokoro?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Sensei in Kokoro. How old is Sensei when Soseki first approaches him? How is Sensei’s demeanor described? What does “Sensei” mean in general Japanese usage?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss symbolic role that Emperor Meiji plays in Kokoro. What does Meiji represent metaphorically to the characters in the story? How does Meiji’s passing affect Soseki and his family? How does it affect Sensei?

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