View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which character developed a limp during WWII?

2. How does Stephen feel about his Japanese heritage?

3. In the childhood story that Naomi was frequently told, what is the name of the little boy who appears to Grandmother and Grandfather?

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

5. In what country does the novel take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who goes back to visit the relocation camps in 1962, and what do they see there?

2. Why does the family have to be relocated from Slocan?

3. How does the family react to the news that the war is over?

4. How did Naomi react to the date that she went on with her student's widowed father?

5. What types of items does Naomi find in the boxes in Obasan's attic, and what questions do these items raise in her mind?

6. What is the condition of the internment camps, and why is Naomi's father sent there?

7. Who is Sigmund and how does he treat Naomi?

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

9. What is significant about the way that Naomi and her mother are staring at the camera in the photo that Naomi finds?

10. What does Naomi find particularly irritating about Mr. and Mrs. Barker when they come to visit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Naomi is a child, she is frequently told the story of Momotaro.

Part1.) Describe the story of Momotaro as it was told to Naomi.

Part 2.) Compare / contrast Momotar's story with Naomi's childhood story. What was the same about their upbringings? What was different?

Part 3.) Explain how Momotaro's story has a much larger effect on Naomi as she is remembering it in her adulthood.

Essay Topic 2

Kogawa chooses to write this novel in a very unconventional way. Explain the structure of the novel and discuss whether or not this use of structure was effective in telling Naomi's story. Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout her childhood, Naomi moved many times.

Part 1.) Compare / contrast Naomi's life in Slocan with her life in Granton.

Part 2.) Explain why Naomi believed that her life in Granton were the worst years of her life.

Part 3.) Explain the ways that community extended throughout Slocan and what Naomi's place in that society was.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 951 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample