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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. What traumatic incident does Naomi remember witnessing with the animals that she was raising?

2. How old is Nomura-obasan?

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

4. What did Naomi's grandfather spend his life building?

5. How many rooms does the hut that the Nakame family is relocated to have?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happened after Naomi's parents purchased her baby chicks?

3. What is the truth surrounding the reasons why Naomi's mother never returned home to Canada?

4. After sorting through the boxes in Obasan's attic, what does Naomi dream about?

5. What are Sick Bays?

6. Why does Naomi's mother leave her, and what is Naomi's reaction?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mr. Gower had a very large impact on Naomi's life as a child. Explain the relationship that Naomi had with her neighbor and discuss the ways that this relationship affected Naomi's use of silence, and her ability to love.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, Naomi struggles with the question of whether she should remember the past or simply forget it. Compare and contrast the benefits and disadvantages in both of these strategies. Then, explain what Naomi's process was moving from a forgetful past to a future full of memories.

(see the answer keys)

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