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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Yuki feel queasy on the day of the wedding?
(a) She is queasy from the smell of her mother's perfume.
(b) She is queasy from the boat ride from Tokyo.
(c) She is queasy from the train ride from Tokyo.
(d) She is queasy from the sake.

2. Where does the wake take place?
(a) In Tokyo.
(b) In the village funeral parlor.
(c) In the park where Shizuko loved to catch cherry blossoms.
(d) In Yuki's house.

3. What does Yuki recall doing in the living room with Shizuko?
(a) They listened to music, drank tea, and talked.
(b) They toasted rice cakes in the fireplace.
(c) They sewed clothes.
(d) They made flower arrangements.

4. How has Yuki spent her summer Sundays?
(a) Running with Sachiko.
(b) Watching movies.
(c) Competing in chess championships.
(d) Shopping with her stepmother.

5. What is the only thing in the kitchen that has not been changed by Yuki's stepmother after she moves into the house?
(a) The curtains.
(b) The persimmon-colored tea set inside the glass cabinet.
(c) The porcelain plates and saucers with tiny pink flowers on the rim.
(d) The wood floor.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Shizuko say about her clothes as she packs them to prepare for a move?

2. According to Dr. Takeda, whom does Yuki resemble?

3. Where is Yuki in Chapter 1?

4. What are some of the things that Yuki does that are deserving of praise?

5. According to Shizuko, what is the best kind of pottery?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Shizuko leave some of the violas rather than move them to the new house?

2. In Chapter 5, does Yuki yearn for friendship? Why or why not?

3. What are Yuki's feelings about her father's remarriage? How does she make these feelings known on their wedding day?

4. In Chapter 14, describe how Takeo explains his understanding of the land reform after the war.

5. What happens at the end of Chapter 2 after Yuki changes her clothes for the wake?

6. In the beginning of Chapter 9, Yuki is thinking about her attempt to convince Mr. Wada that she cannot dissect a frog. What reasons does she give Mr. Wada for being unable to complete the lab activity?

7. According to Yuki, what kinds of things did Shizuko teach her?

8. Are Hanae's hostile actions toward Yuki justified in Chapter 8?

9. In Chapter 10, Yuki recalls how Mr. Kimura told her stories about Shizuko's years as a schoolgirl. What similarities become apparent between the young Shizuko and Yuki?

10. Why does Shizuko give Yuki the business card that Mr. Kimura left her? What is Shizuko's reason for deciding not to call Mr. Kimura again?

(see the answer keys)

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