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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 do Yuki and Aunt Aya go to Kobe at the beginning of Chapter 3?
(a) They are there for Yuki's piano recital. It is Yuki's first recital since her mother's death.
(b) They are there to attend the wedding of Hideki and his new bride. After the wedding, Yuki will move in with her father and new stepmother.
(c) They are there to visit Shizuko's grave. It is the first anniversary of her death.
(d) They are there to attend Yuki's grandmother's funeral.

2. 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 porcelain plates and saucers with tiny pink flowers on the rim.
(c) The persimmon-colored tea set inside the glass cabinet.
(d) The wood floor.

3. How old is Yuki in Chapter 1?
(a) Twenty.
(b) Twelve.
(c) Six.
(d) Seventeen.

4. In Chapter 6, why has Sachiko decided not to go out for cross-country?
(a) She needs to help her mother with housework after school.
(b) She wants to take up horseback riding.
(c) She is playing the lead role in a school play and must rehearse daily.
(d) She is tutoring other students after school.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who writes Yuki a letter in Chapter 4?

2. In Shizuko's dream at the beginning of Chapter 1, who is throwing rice cakes to a crowd?

3. Select the character below who says, "I don't pretend. I hate you."

4. Why is Shizuko standing on her tiptoes in the wedding photo that Yuki carries with her?

5. In Chapter 4, what does Yuki remove from the refrigerator?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of personality does the young Tadashi have? What does he represent?

2. Describe Yuki through Masa's eyes in the beginning of Chapter 14.

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 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?

5. Describe how Mr. Kimura appears to ten-year-old Yuki.

6. What does Hideki appreciate about the ritual of burning in Chapter 13?

7. Why does her Aunt Aya compliment Yuki on the day of the wake?

8. Is Hideki affectionate toward Yuki?

9. In the beginning of Chapter 12, what does Yuki intend to do with Shizuko's stored belongings in the attic?

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

(see the answer keys)

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