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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. Which of the following is one of Eiju's favorite smells?

2. What does Ben tell Mike that all the men he has slept with have in common?

3. Who is the first person Mike tells outright that Eiju is dying while he is in Japan?

4. What did Mike's mother do with him routinely right before she left America for Japan?

5. What does Mike cook for Eiju's doctor?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Mike angry at his mother for the circumstances surrounding her telling him that Eiju is dying?

2. What does Mike come to think of Eiju's regular patrons?

3. What does Eiju tell Mike when Mike asks how he first met Mitsuko?

4. How does Eiju feel about tourists in his bar?

5. What surprises Mike about the name of Eiju's bar?

6. What makes Mike upset about how Eiju manages his illness?

7. What does Mike say to Ben shortly before he leaves for Osaka that he knows he should not have said?

8. What does Kunihiko start doing as Eiju gets sicker?

9. Who does Mike become somewhat romantically involved with in Osaka and how does this happen?

10. What does Eiju tell Mike about the bar that surprises Mike?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Washington seems to leave the door open to the idea that Mike and Ben might someday get back together at the end of the novel, but for the immediate future, they are breaking up. Why do you think Washington leaves the future of Ben's and Mike's relationship ambiguous? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What kind of a friend is Ximena to Ben, and what benefits does he seem to glean from their friendship? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does Mike's trip to Japan, and his working at Eiju's bar and meeting all of Eiju's friends and acquaintances, change Mike's view of his father? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 608 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample