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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 does Sunja think when she sees Yangjin for the first time since Yeongdo in Book Two, Chapter 7?

2. What does Sunja think about her children in Book Two, Chapter 4?

3. What vulgar thing does Yoseb say to shame Sunja when he finds out she has paid his debts in Book One, Chapter 17?

4. Why does Tamaguchi-san want the war to continue in Book Two, Chapter 7?

5. What does Kim say about his politics to Kyunghee in Book Two, Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the ajumma tell Sunja about a women's life and the man she will marry in Chapter Three?

2. How does Sunja deal with Mozasu's fighting in Book Two, Chapter 11?

3. What does Isak think about when he realizes he is sick with tuberculosis at the end of Book One, Chapter 3?

4. Why is Sunja so determined to pay off Yoseb’s debt in Book One, Chapter 16?

5. What is the propaganda in the newspapers Yoseb reads in Book Two, Chapter 1?

6. How is Mozasu becoming a "bad Korean"in Book Two, Chapter 10? What does he think about this?

7. What does Yoseb think of the Japanese war in China in Book Two, Chapter 3? How does the way he thinks about it connect with the larger philosophy of Korean people?

8. What secrets does Noa keep to himself in Book Two, Chapter 4? Who does he keep these secrets from?

9. What are Yoseb and Hansu's plans for the Baek family in Book Two, Chapter 8? How are they different?

10. How does Pastor Yoo resolve the siblings quarrel in Book One, Chapter 14 and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of Mozasu and Hansu. They are both self-made men who build fortunes and seek to create a better, educated life for their sons. How are they similar and different in the ways they were raised and the way they conduct their lives? How does their backgrounds, as Koreans, as being poor, tie into their actions and aspirations? Develop a character study of each man and compare their similar actions throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 2

The theme of shame is prevalent throughout the novel Pachinko. When Sunja sleeps with Hansu, she brings shame upon herself and her family. Later in the novel, on the television show "Other Lands," a Japanese woman who has moved abroad says, "I have never been to Japan [...] but I hope wherever I am in life, I can be a good Japanese. I hope never to bring shame to my people" (419). Choose two characters and explore how shame shapes their lives. Where does this shame come from? What societal ideals or expectations hold up shame? Is it rational? How do characters find ways to absolve this pain?

Essay Topic 3

The history of the Christian church in Japan carries throughout the novel. How does faith in Christianity shape the lives of the characters? Why is Christianity seen as such a threat in the beginning of the novel? How do those who do not follow Christianity understand it? Has the understanding of Christianity in the larger society change from the beginning to the end of the novel? Use at least three textual sources and two outside sources to develop a picture of faith and examine how it relates to the events of the novel.

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