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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 relative of Sensei’s died of a similar ailment as the narrator’s father?

2. Sensei’s wife tells the narrator that Sensei is at a cemetery where in Part I: Sensei and I?

3. When was Natsume Soseki sent to England as a government scholar?

4. NatsumeSoseki wrote Kokoro how many years after the death of Emperor Meiji?

5. By the end of what month is the narrator’s graduation thesis due in Part I: Sensei and I?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Sensei’s drinking described in Part I, Sensei and I? Why is this significant?

2. When and where was Kokoro first published? What insight does the translator give to the meaning of the title in the Forward?

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. What does Sensei reveal about greed and betrayal in his past at the tree nursery in Part I, Sensei and I?

6. What does the narrator tell Sensei of his father’s health when he returns to Tokyo in Part I, Sensei and I? How does Sensei respond?

7. Describe the setting of Kokoro. Where does most of the action in the novel take place?

8. How does Soseki respond to Sensei’s remark about Soseki seeking love in Part I, Sensei and I?

9. Where does the narrator first see Sensei? How does he go about approaching him?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of “the second son” in Kokoro. Soseki, Sensei's uncle, and K are all second sons of their families. What sense of estrangement do each of these characters experience from their families as they struggle to find identities and career paths?

Essay Topic 2

Women’s Roles in Kokoro

a. Discuss the differences and similarities between gender roles in the novel. How do expectations of men and women differ in terms of education, society, and culture?

b. Compare and contrast Shizu and Soseki’s mother in the novel. How does Soseki view his mother’s opinions versus those of Shizu?

Essay Topic 3

Fathers and Sons in Kokoro

a. Discuss the relationship between Sensei and Soseki in the novel. How does this relationship resemble that of a father and son? How does Soseki compare his father to Sensei?

b. Compare and contrast Soseki and Sensei’s fathers in the novel. How are they similar? How do they differ?

(see the answer keys)

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