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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. At the end of Book Three, Chapter 12, what does Yangjin want to do before she dies that she is not able to do?

2. In Book Three, chapter 20, what does Goro-san tell Solomon about the old Korean woman’s property?

3. What had Noa not thought of before Akiko speaks out in class in Book Two, Chapter 15?

4. In Book Two, Chapter 17, where does Yumi want to live?

5. What does Yoseb tell Sunja to do to pay for Noa's university tuition in Book One, Chapter 13?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sunja feel seeing Hansu in the kitchen with her in Book Three, Chapter 4?

2. Why does Solomon get fired from his job in Book Three, Chapter 19?

3. What does Kazu explain to Solomon as a "shit tax" in Book Three, Chapter 17?

4. What does Noa realize about Akiko's attitude towards him after she interrupts his meeting with Hansu in Book Two, Chapter 19?

5. What does Kyunghee say to Kim Changho's marriage proposal in Book Two, Chapter 13, and how does Kim respond?

6. How are the women in Phoebe's family different than in Solomon's family as described in Book Three, Chapter 18? Why is this the case?

7. Why does Noa go to Nagano in Book Three, Chapter 1 after he finds Hansu is his father?

8. Why have Hana and Solomon begun to hang out in Book Three, Chapter 13? How does Hana think of Solomon?

9. How does Solomon get his name as told in Book Three, Chapter 10?

10. What does Etsuko think about her role as a mother in Book Three, Chapter 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What is the narrative voice of Pachinko? Compare Chapter One to any of the following chapters (Book One, Chapter Five; Book Two, Chapter Nine; Book Three, Chapter One; Book Three, Chapter Two; Book Three, Chapter Fifteen) and analyze the narration style. Who is speaking throughout the different sections? When do characters speak and when are we told the words they say? When does the novel go inside the character's heads? Name the narration styles used according to what you have learned in class. Then analyze the effect of the narration styles used. What is the novel trying to show through its choices? How do different narration styles create a different effect?

Essay Topic 3

When Noa writes the Baek family after finding out Hansu is his father, Yoseb thinks, "he could understand the boy's anger, but he wanted another chance to talk to him, to tell Noa that a man must learn to forgive---to know what is important, that to live without forgiveness was a ind of death with breathing and movement" (318-19).

Choose at least two examples of characters either asking for, or have already asked for, forgiveness. How do their choices to forgive or not to forgive affect their lives and mental outlooks? Who asks for forgiveness and why? For the person who is asked for forgiveness, why or why not do they choose to forgive? Compare these examples to examine how forgiveness is a theme in the novel.

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