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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. In what country does the novel take place?

2. Which character repeats the phrase, "Everybody dies some day" over and over?

3. How does Naomi feel about the racism she experienced as a child, now as an adult?

4. How does Naomi feel about her Aunt's revolutionary thinking?

5. Which of the following descriptions does NOT describe Obasan as Naomi sees her?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Naomi and Stephen adjust to their new schools in Granton?

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

3. What happens to Grandmother Nakane's body after the funeral?

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

5. What are Sick Bays?

6. How is Obasan described when Naomi goes to visit her?

7. What story does Rough Lock Bill tell to Kenji and Naomi when they are out exploring the woods?

8. What preparations are made for Uncle's arrival in Slocan, and how is he greeted?

9. What was life like for Naomi while she was living on the beet farm?

10. What happened when Kenji convinced Naomi to go on his raft for an adventure with him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

There are many epistolary, or written, elements to the novel. Create a list of three elements used throughout the novel as ways of recording history for the family, and describe the ways that these element affected Naomi's relationship with her family's truths.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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