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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. The unnamed narrator states in Chapter 2 that she believes that she has a group of which family members "living in a village near the source of the far side of the mountains" (8)?

2. By what letter of the alphabet does the unnamed narrator refer to her literary editor?

3. It is revealed in Chapter 5 that the unnamed narrator's mother had received a letter from the Memory Police how many years back?

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. At the end of Chapter 1, the unnamed narrator recalls asking her mother, "Why are you the only one who hasn't" (7) taken what action?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. Who raps on the narrator's basement window in Chapter 4 and for what purpose?

7. When the narrator makes her usual stop at the ornithology observatory in Chapter 3, what does she find there?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is Ogawa’s message regarding the connection between language and thought and what tools are used within The Memory Police in order to get this message across to the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Trace the characterization arc of the unnamed narrator over the course of the novel The Memory Police. Discuss whether the unnamed narrator is a round or flat character and whether she is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 3

How does Ogawa use sensory details in order to strengthen the text’s messages? Discuss at least two passages that include the use of sensory details and pull quotes from these passages to support your claim.

(see the answer keys)

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