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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 Sensei returns from summer vacation after his first year in college, he finds K living in a dirty temple by what?

2. Who was left in charge of Sensei after the death of his parents?

3. Where does Sensei say K was born in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

4. What does Okusan bring to Sensei after he says he is not feeling well in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

5. Who informs Sensei of the widow and her vacant room in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the conflicting objectives presented to Soseki by his mother in Part II, My Parents and I?

2. What does K confront Sensei about outside the library in Part III, Sensei’s Testament? How does Sensei respond?

3. What happens with K’s family during their third summer holiday from school in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

4. How does Sensei’s past, revealed in his final letter, explain his demeanor in the earlier parts of the novel?

5. Where does Sensei go after proposing to marry Ojosan in Part III, Sensei’s Testament? What does he think about?

6. What is Sensei’s objective in having K live with him? How do Okusan and Ojosan respond to Sensei’s suggestions?

7. What is K’s justification for defying his adoptive parents’ wishes in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

8. What does Sensei make of the difference he finds in his adoptive family when he returns for his third summer holiday in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?

9. How does K’s family dispute conclude in Part III, Sensei’s Testament? How does K feel about the situation?

10. Where does K go during his first summer holiday from school in Part III, Sensei’s Testament? How does Sensei describe him when the holiday ends?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Sensei’s opening words to Soseki in Part III, Sensei’s Testament. What does Sensei tell Soseki regarding their previous discussion of trust? How does Sensei explain his lack of correspondence after Soseki’s letter? When does Sensei say he began to respect Soseki?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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