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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 was an N-360?

2. What could Toru hear in the distance while he and Naoko were in the meadow?

3. What does Midori tell Toru is being burned at her old high school?

4. What makes a crunching noise under Naoko and Toru's feet?

5. What class does Toru have with Midori?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nagasawa tell Toru are his reasons for wanting to join the Foreign Ministry?

2. What did Naoko tell Toru in the letter she sent him in July 1969?

3. Describe Nagasawa.

4. How did Toru feel about joining Nagasawa's womanizing expeditions?

5. How did Toru become friends with Nagasawa?

6. What does Toru assume about the name of Ami Hostel?

7. How did Storm Trooper affect Toru and Naoko's plans in January 1969?

8. Why didn't Midori like her high school?

9. Describe Area C.

10. What sorts of things do Naoko and her fellow patients do for entertainment at the hostel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the themes of this novel is the superficiality of things and people and the world. Discuss how Murakami develops this theme in "Norwegian Wood."

Essay Topic 2

Throughout "Norwegian Wood" there are a lot of ways in which characters have difficulty communicating. Midori's father can barely speak. Naoko has trouble writing. Toru isolates himself at his house and loses touch with everyone he knows. Discuss the novel's position on the importance of communication.

Essay Topic 3

In "Norwegian Wood," Murakami depicts life and death as being on a continuum. Explain how the author uses the characters to develop this concept throughout the novel.

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This section contains 945 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample