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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. In what location is a birthday party held in Chapter 16?

2. Which character first notices that there are disappeared objects inside sculptures created by the narrator's mother?

3. How many Memory Police officers arrive to search the narrator's home in Chapter 17?

4. In what locations do the narrator and R sit during their meetings about the narrator's newest novel?

5. What action does the narrator say that "R always" takes "now" (191) in Chapter 20?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does the theme of surveillance appear within Chapter 18, in relation to the bond between R and the narrator?

2. In what way do the narrator and R become more intimate over the course of his period of hiding?

3. What illogical conclusion does the narrator come to about R after their first sexual encounter, though she knows quite well how illogical it is?

4. Who comes to stay with the narrator in Chapter 19 and why?

5. In Chapter 14, the old man reports to the narrator that the Memory Police had been interested in what subject?

6. In what way is the theme of altruism demonstrated in Chapter 21 when an earthquake rocks the island?

7. How does the narrator acquire the dog named Don in Chapter 19 and what is the significance of her acquisition?

8. What sorts of jobs does R begin to complete on the narrator's behalf in Chapter 12 and why?

9. What objects in the narrator's sink nearly result in disaster when the Memory Police see them in Chapter 17?

10. Which character does the narrator NOT consult about her decision to investigate the old man's disappearance and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Write a critical essay about The Memory Police while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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