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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 the opening chapter, what is Naomi's Uncle doing in the grass?

2. Which of the following best describes "Sick Bays"?

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

4. When Naomi was being sexually abused as a child, who does she remember telling?

5. In Naomi's reccurring dream, what are the three Oriental women wearing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What evidence does Naomi find as an adult as to the welfare of her mother and grandmother after the war's end?

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

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

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

5. While Naomi is recovering in the hospital, what does she remember about the schoolboys that had a penchant for making things suffer?

6. What is the story of Momotaro?

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

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

9. How is Grandmother Nakane's funeral described in the novel?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

All throughout the novel, Naomi struggles with authority in her life.

Part 1.) Explain the ways that Naomi struggles with authority in her personal adult life.

Part 2.) Describe the ways that Naomi's struggle with authority begins to penetrate her dreams.

Part 3.) Theorize why Naomi has such trouble with authority based on her childhood.

Essay Topic 2

The Nakane family spreads over three generations within the novel. Briefly characterize each of the three generations of the family, and describe their different relationships with their heritage, and their new home in Canada.

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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