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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 declares that what weather had been helpful in getting R smuggled into the narrator's home?
(a) Rain.
(b) Sun.
(c) Wind.
(d) Snow.

2. By what letter of the alphabet does the unnamed narrator refer to her literary editor?
(a) P.
(b) R.
(c) Q.
(d) L.

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

4. 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 taxi stand.
(b) A car.
(c) A lamp pole.
(d) A mailbox.

5. When the Memory Police arrive unannounced at the unnamed narrator's home in Chapter 2, what action does she ask them to take, though she is ignored?
(a) She asks them to put away their guns.
(b) She asks them to join her for breakfast.
(c) She asks them to wipe their feet.
(d) She asks them to take off their boots.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is the hatch located that serves as the only way to get into R's hiding place in the home of the unnamed narrator?

2. The old man tells the unnamed narrator in Chapter 7 that he has lived on the island how much longer than she has?

3. How many years before the narrative present did the unnamed narrator's nurse die of a heart attack, as revealed in Chapter 2?

4. The narrator's new editor tells the narrator that R had left an empty desk, except for her novel, when he suddenly took what action?

5. What is NOT a business housed within the strip mall raided by the Memory Police in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 7, what claim does the old man make about the Memory Police while trying to reassure the narrator of her safety?

2. Once R agrees to accept the narrator's offer to hide him, what instructions does she give him?

3. What information is revealed in Chapter 5 about the narrator's mother and her interactions with the Memory Police?

4. Explain the first line of the novel, which states, "I sometimes wonder what was disappeared first---among all the things that have vanished from the island" (3).

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

6. What does the pair of light blue gloves symbolize, from the narrator's perspective?

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

8. Discuss an instance when Ogawa uses a metaphor or simile to describe R's ability to hold onto memories of disappeared objects.

9. What is named as "the first duty of the Memory Police" (14)?

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

(see the answer keys)

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