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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. At what point in her life does Scheherazade say she had realized her former status as a particular creature?

2. How often does Scheherazade come to see Habara?

3. The narrator describes truly happy families as occurring as frequently as what other phenomenon?

4. Dr. Tokai tells the narrator that a gentleman does not talk about the women he sleeps with nor about what other subject?

5. The protagonist of the story "Kino" owns what type of establishment?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Kino come to own a bar and what had he done for work prior to the purchase?

2. Name the mysterious elements present within the story "Scheherazade" that are not resolved by the end of the story.

3. What is the symbolism inherent in Kino's bar?

4. When the narrator states that Dr. Tokai had displayed no signs of an unstable personality, what traits does he list as being absent within Dr. Tokai's personality?

5. Describe the relationship between Kino and his aunt.

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

7. In what ways is the unnamed narrator of "An Independent Organ" suggested to be possibly unreliable?

8. Who is Goto and what is his role in the story entitled "An Independent Organ"?

9. Describe Scheherazade's routine upon arriving at Habara's house twice per week.

10. What is Dr. Tokai's eventual fate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of courage within Haruki Murakami's short story collection Men Without Women. What is Murakami's message regarding courage and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Determine the author's message regarding the maxim that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Essay Topic 3

What is the function of the unnamed narrator in the story Men Without Women? Discuss the characterization methods used by the author in depicting the unnamed narrator and include in your discussion the reasons that the author portrays the character in these particular ways.

(see the answer keys)

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