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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. Which of the following objects does Naomi NOT find in one of Obasan's storage boxes?

3. As a child, how does Naomi remember the sounds of music that filled the house?

4. What does Obasan give to the woman with the baby on the train?

5. Who does Naomi remember staring at her while she begged for help after witnessing the traumatic event with her animals?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is Naomi accused of doing with a kitten by one of her classmates?

4. After Germany surrenders in the war, what changes about life in Slocan?

5. As a child, how does Naomi cope with the relocation and the internment of her family?

6. What change is made in Naomi and Stephen's education after Uncle arrives to Slocan?

7. What speech does Aunt Emily give to Naomi about racism, and what is Naomi's response?

8. At the onset of the labor camps, what happens to Naomi's family?

9. What significant event happens in the Nakane family on the day of their relocation, and how does Naomi respond?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Naomi cares for many young animals throughout the course of the novel. Briefly describe two of the caretaking roles that Naomi took on growing up and explain how caretaking provided an outlet for Naomi's grief.

Essay Topic 2

When Naomi is first sent to Obasan's house, she is repulsed by its condition.

Part 1.) Describe the physicality of Obasan's house as it was depicted in the text.

Part 2.) Explain the symbolism that Obasan's house has with memory. Why does Naomi's aversion to memory affect her comfort in Obasan's home?

Essay Topic 3

Many of the men in Naomi's family had made their living on a boat and at sea. Explain the cultural and symbolic significance of water and boats throughout the text. What was taken away from the family when the government seized their boats?

(see the answer keys)

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