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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 does "Obasan" mean in Japanese?

2. To whom does Naomi remember running to for help when she witnessed the traumatic event with her animals?

3. What is the name of Naomi's older brother?

4. What did Naomi's grandfather spend his life building?

5. When Aunt Emily is giving the speech about racism throughout the world, what reaction does Naomi have?

Short Essay Questions

1. What disturbing dreams does Naomi begin to have about her mother after she is released from the hospital?

2. What happens between Stephen and his classmates to alert the family that racism is spreading through the schools?

3. How does the neighborhood say goodbye to the Nakane family when they are relocated from Slocan?

4. What happens to Grandmother Nakane after she begins to fall ill at Slocan?

5. What does Naomi know about the people that made up her community in Slocan?

6. What does Aunt Emily say happened to most of the Japanese people who were liberated from internment in the 1940s?

7. What are Sick Bays?

8. What are the Nakane family allowed to take with them during their relocation from Slocan, and how do they pack their belongings?

9. Why do Mr. Barker and his second wife come to visit Obasan in her home?

10. What is the rest of the Nakane family's reaction to Aunt Emily's revolutionary thinking?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, Naomi struggles with the question of whether she should remember the past or simply forget it. Compare and contrast the benefits and disadvantages in both of these strategies. Then, explain what Naomi's process was moving from a forgetful past to a future full of memories.

Essay Topic 2

Colors act as very strong symbols throughout the novel, appearing both in Naomi's dreams and in her realities. Choose one color and generate a list of three times that this color was used throughout the novel. What do you think this color symbolizes in Natalie's story?

Essay Topic 3

Mr. Gower had a very large impact on Naomi's life as a child. Explain the relationship that Naomi had with her neighbor and discuss the ways that this relationship affected Naomi's use of silence, and her ability to love.

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