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

2. How old is Naomi when she returns to the relocation camp after its liberation?

3. For how many years are Naomi and her family in relocation?

4. In the childhood story that Naomi is frequently told, from what piece of fruit does the little boy appear from?

5. What does Naomi's husband do for a living?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Naomi see when she first arrived at her relocation hut as a child?

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

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

4. What does the young mother tell Obasan about the delivery of her young baby and how they ended up on the relocation train?

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

6. What was interesting about the marriage between Naomi's parents?

7. What reaction does Naomi have to the newspaper clippings and letters that she finds of Aunt Emily's?

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

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

10. What improvements does Uncle make during the time that he spends in Slocan?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are many deaths throughout the novel, but Uncle's seems to be the most important. Describe the effect that Uncle's death has on Naomi's life and explain why Uncle's death may be considered the most important death in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Naomi has a very strenuous relationship with her mother throughout the course of the novel. Create a timeline of Naomi's life in regards to her relationship with her mother. At what times did Naomi feel closest to her mother? At what times did she seem furthest away? What triggers were in place to prompt the changes that Naomi felt toward her mother?

Essay Topic 3

Memory proves to be the most powerful tool used to tell Naomi's story. Describe the ways that Kogawa uses memory to trigger plot in the novel, and discuss the various ways that memory is used to broaden the relationship that the reader feels toward Naomi as the novel progresses.

(see the answer keys)

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