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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The old man attempts to reassure the unnamed narrator by telling her in Chapter 7, "Those Memory Police are only after people who aren't able to" (54) take which action?
(a) Surrender.
(b) Remember.
(c) Forget.
(d) Obey.

2. When the raid on the strip mall begins, the unnamed narrator hides behind what object while she clutches the envelope that holds her latest manuscript?
(a) A mailbox.
(b) A lamp pole.
(c) A taxi stand.
(d) A car.

3. The unnamed narrator recalls her mother telling her that which type of stone had been inherited from the narrator's great-grandmother?
(a) An emerald.
(b) An amethyst.
(c) A sapphire.
(d) An opal.

4. Who originally comes up with the idea for R to hide from the Memory Police in the unnamed narrator's home?
(a) R.
(b) Professor Inui.
(c) The old man.
(d) The unnamed narrator.

5. From what location does the old man come to help the unnamed narrator prepare for the colder weather?
(a) A boat.
(b) A train.
(c) A train car.
(d) A museum.

Short Answer Questions

1. The unnamed narrator states that "it has been" how many "years since [the Memory Police] first appeared" (20)?

2. In Chapter 9, the Memory Police are said to be "appearing more often in the streets" (64) riding in trucks painted what color?

3. The old man declares that what weather had been helpful in getting R smuggled into the narrator's home?

4. The narrator tells R in Chapter 11, "I suspect the only reason I've been able to go on writing is that I've had your" what "by my side all along" (82)?

5. The unnamed narrator remarks that her newest novel is about a woman who works as a what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What particular aspect of the birds' disappearance bothers the narrator the most?

2. What do the black garbage bags symbolize in Chapter 2?

3. How is the raid witnessed by the narrator in Chapter 4 different than all previous raids, according to the narrator?

4. What is the symbolism of the cabinet the unnamed narrator describes in relation to her mother in Chapter 1?

5. For what reason does R at first reject the narrator's offer of help in Chapter 10?

6. What type of routine do the narrator and R fall into once R gets settled in his room in Chapter 11?

7. When an excerpt of the novel about the typist is provided at the start of Chapter 8, what has the protagonist lost?

8. For what reason does the narrator visit R's office in Chapter 10?

9. Discuss an instance when Ogawa uses a metaphor or simile to demonstrate the desolation that begins to characterize the island after many disappearances.

10. At what sight do the narrator and the old man gaze during their discussion of the Memory Police in Chapter 7?

(see the answer keys)

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