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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. Which of the following is not something Eiji has to convince his kidnapper of in order to be released?

2. With whom does Daimon seem to have tension at the Queen of Spades?

3. Who is Akiko Kato?

4. At the beginning of Chapter One, how does Eiji hope he will meet Akiko Kato?

5. Who gets Eiji his job by arranging an interview for him with Mrs. Sasaki?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Eiji decapitate the statue of the thunder god in his village shrine?

2. Who is Cat and what does Eiji's relationship with her indicate?

3. What happens to Mr. Aoyama in Chapter Two?

4. What is the yakuza and how is Daimon tied to the organization?

5. Discuss Eiji's playing of video games in Chapter Three and what the video games symbolize.

6. Why does Eiji engage in so much fantasy and daydreaming?

7. What does Eiji's helping Daimon after the yakuza injure Daimon indicate about Eiji's character?

8. Describe Eiji's coworkers at Ueno Station and his relationships with them.

9. Who is Buntaro and what is Eiji's relationship with him like?

10. What is the significance of the third person viewpoint in the scenes describing Eiji's first drug experience and his experience with Velvet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of the John Lennon song Number Nine Dream to the novel. What does John Lennon tell Eiji in his dream that the song means? How do Lennon's references to ghosts and loneliness relate to Eiji's life? What do you think the author is trying to say through the use of the song in the novel's title and in the dream sequence?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of the yakuza in Number Nine Dream. In what ways is the yakuza organization like a family? What do you think Eiji learns from his experiences with the yakuza? In what ways does the yakuza help Eiji find his own substitute family?

Essay Topic 3

Number Nine Dream contains a number of instances of foreshadowing. Cite at least three examples of foreshadowing in the novel and explain how it is used to indicate events to come.

(see the answer keys)

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