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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. Whose song comes on the plane's speakers after "Norwegian Wood"?

2. What does Toru think about after Reiko leaves him in the apartment?

3. What did Naoko give Toru for Christmas in 1968?

4. What is the title of the song Midori wrote herself?

5. In what month did Toru run into Naoko on the train?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Toru's living arrangements change after summer break?

2. Why is Toru writing this book?

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

4. How did Toru and Naoko celebrate her twentieth birthday?

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

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

7. Describe the day Kizuki died.

8. How was Toru's dorm room different from most of the others?

9. What causes the narrator to feel dizzy in the opening scene of the novel?

10. Describe Toru's roommate.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using several examples, discuss how Murakami uses the recurring motif of a group of three characters throughout the novel to develop Toru's character.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

How does the author's use of foreshadowing throughout this novel enhance or detract from the story? Be specific.

(see the answer keys)

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