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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. What object does the unnamed narrator drop while reacting to the young prisoner's fall onto the concrete?

2. The unnamed narrator's favorite story of her mother's was the one about what object?

3. How many days does it take for the body of water used for disappearing to return to normal?

4. It is rumored that the Memory Police have recruited all people with what job to be informants for them?

5. What is the name of the Inuis' cat, whom the narrator claims could be easily identified by the Memory Police?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What type of document is presented within the text for the first, but not the last, time in Chapter 6?

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

6. For what reason do the Memory Police visit the unnamed narrator in Chapter 2?

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

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

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

10. 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).

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Ogawa’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of The Memory Police.

Essay Topic 2

What is the function of the old man's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by Ogawa in depicting the old man and include in your discussion the reasons that Ogawa portrays him in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 3

Perform a biographical criticism of The Memory Police by researching Ogawa's life and work. Be sure to create a strong and specific claim focused on this particular book and then support that claim with quotes from the book and from your research of Ogawa.

(see the answer keys)

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