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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 narrator of "An Independent Organ" describes his own marital status in what way?
(a) Married.
(b) Divorced.
(c) Married with reservations.
(d) Single.

2. What object does Dr. Tokai instruct to be given to the narrator upon Dr. Tokai's death?
(a) A lightbulb.
(b) A squash racket.
(c) A picnic basket.
(d) A clock.

3. Once the bald man starts coming regularly to Kino's establishment, how often does he come?
(a) Once, or at most, twice per week.
(b) Once, or at most, twice per month.
(c) Twice, or at most three, times per week.
(d) Twice, or at most, three times a month.

4. How had Dr. Tokai acquired his medical practice?
(a) He had inherited it from his father.
(b) He had begun as an apprentice and had worked his way up to owner.
(c) He had inherited it from his grandfather.
(d) He had purchased it himself.

5. The protagonist of the story "Kino" owns what type of establishment?
(a) A bookstore.
(b) A bar.
(c) A banquet hall.
(d) A bowling alley.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Kino and his ex-wife meet once their divorce is finalized, what does Kino's wife say she has been wanting to tell Kino?

2. What does Goto tell the narrator had been the cause of Dr. Tokai's decision to live no longer?

3. How many children does the narrator of "An Independent Organ" have?

4. In college, Kino had been a "standout" (148) in what sport?

5. What verb is used to describe the way in which Habara had come to the "provincial city north of Tokyo" (121) four months before the story's beginning?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is vivid imagery employed within Scheherazade's depiction of her former life as a lamprey eel?

2. Describe the relationship between Kino and his aunt.

3. How is the theme of escape depicted within Habara's receipt of Scheherazade's stories?

4. The narrator states that "affable" (83) people almost always have what other qualities?

5. What are Kino's feelings toward his ex-wife and her lover, who had also been Kino's colleague?

6. Around the time Kino's cat disappears, what other creatures begins to show up outside of the bar and what do they symbolize?

7. What attitude does the unnamed narrator have about the prospect of having children?

8. What type of doctor is Dr. Tokai and how does his job relate to his preferred habits regarding dating?

9. How does the theme of appearance versus reality emerge within the stories that Scheherazade tells to Habara?

10. In what way is foreshadowing employed within the narrator's memory of his last conversation with Dr. Tokai?

(see the answer keys)

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