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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 is the Japanese word for a swordsman?

2. What is the name of Matahachi's wife?

3. Whose honor do Osugi and Gon want to restore?

4. Where do Musashi and Jo stay at an inn?

5. What is the name of the woman who helps Takezo and Matakachi?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do Osugi and Gon want to kill Musashi?

2. How is Matahachi's mother rude to Takeo's family in this section?

3. How does Musashi find Otsu again?

4. How does Musashi escape Osugi and Gon?

5. Why does the blacksmith want to kill Musashi?

6. Describe Matahachi's reunion with his mother?

7. How does Jo's father react when Matahachi takes food from him?

8. What is Matahachi's life like with Oko?

9. Describe Matahachi's mother's character?

10. How do the villagers punish Takuan?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

MUSASHI is translated from Japanese into English. How much meaning can a book loses through a translation? What aspects of the book do you think would be the most difficult to express in English? How do you think a translator can overcome these difficulties?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the life of a samurai warrior.

1. Who are samurai warriors and how do they view life?

2. What influence have samurai warriors had on popular culture?

3. How does the author express both the negative and positive aspects of samurai life? How has samurai values shaped the lives of the main characters?

Essay Topic 3

Why do Muashi and Matachi fall out with each other during the novel? What does it say about there friendship that they eventually reconcile? What does the novel say about friendship in general?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 683 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample