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

2. What is the name of Naomi's older brother?

3. When Aunt Emily comes to visit Obasan and Naomi, who picks her up from the airport?

4. Where does Naomi remember seeing a man wink at her when she was a small child?

5. How many children do Obasan and Uncle have?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Naomi cope with the truth of her mother's life and death?

4. What is the story of Momotaro?

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

6. What does Naomi remember about the time she spent in Grandmother Kato's house growing up?

7. How did Naomi's Uncle die?

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

9. What disturbing dreams does Naomi begin to have about her mother after she is released from the hospital?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 891 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample