View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Ben leave Ximena's wedding reception early?

2. Who does Ben go on a date with in Part I?

3. What does Omar do for a living?

4. What food does Mitsuko ask Ben about in Chapter 5?

5. What does Ben tell his mother she does not have to worry about in a phone conversation in Part II?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does Mike tell Ben he will come back to America in Chapter 22?

2. What does Mitsuko tell Ben a story is like when he asks her to tell him a story about Mike?

3. What does Lydia ask Ben to do in Part I?

4. Who startles Ben by asking him out on a date in Part II?

5. What does Ben's father say about his sexuality in Chapter 19 that is entirely offensive?

6. What is awkward for Benson about Mike leaving for Osaka in Chapter 1?

7. Why is Mike leaving for Osaka, Japan, in Chapter 1?

8. What does Mitsuko mail to herself before she leaves Japan so she will have it in America?

9. Where does Ben take some of the food that he and Mitsuko are cooking in Chapter 22?

10. Where do Mitsuko and Ben go together in Chapter 31?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why do you think Mike decides to go back to Japan and try to make a go of running Eiju's bar after Eiju's death? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

What are some of the most significant challenges and problems in Ben's and Mike's relationship throughout the novel? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Washington chose to split the book into two parts, with one written from Benson's perspective and one written from Mike's perspective? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 600 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample