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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 Shizuko's mother say the morning of the wake?

2. What do Yuki and her Aunt Aya do together just before the wake?

3. Why do Yuki and Aunt Aya go to Kobe at the beginning of Chapter 3?

4. Where is Yuki in Chapter 1?

5. Why does Yuki apologize to Shizuko in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 16, how does Yuki use Masa's kimonos to keep healthy, happy reminders of the past in her life?

2. During Takeo's heart attack in Chapter 14, what seems to be his pervading attitude?

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

4. Why does Yuki regret telling Sachiko and Mrs. Murai that her mother died in an accident? What does she wish she had said instead?

5. 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?

6. Why does Yuki sometimes feel angry toward her late mother Shizuko?

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

8. What does Shizuko wish that she had done differently on the day she decides to take her life?

9. At the end of Chapter 15, Yuki reaches a conclusion about Shizuko's wishes for her in the future. What is it that Shizuko had hoped Yuki would find?

10. Why does Yuki feel like she must go to a college that is far away from her parents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Shizuko's sense of loneliness and isolation to that of Yuki. What causes each to become isolated from others? Compare and contrast the way that these characters cope with the loneliness in their lives. Are these characters in some way responsible for the isolation they face? Why or why not? Is Yuki able to overcome loneliness in her life? If so, how does she accomplish this?

Essay Topic 2

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Yuki does not reject the past but rather attempts to bridge well-loved portions of the past with her present and future. How Yuki accomplishes this changes throughout the duration of the novel as she learns how to best respect and preserve memories. Describe Yuki's progression, from Shizuko's suicide to the epilogue of the book, in regards to preserving the past.

• What kind of behavior does Yuki exhibit that may be considered unhealthy? Why is it unhealthy?

• What is the difference between physical and mental reminders? How is it important?

• Relate Yuki's efforts to others in the novel. How are other characters' methods or beliefs different from her own?

Essay Topic 3

Each character in the novel displays a different attitude toward death and the nature of loved ones passing. Compare and contrast the main characters of the novel: Yuki, Masa, Takeo, and Hideki. How do their approaches to grief vary? How have they grown and progressed by the end of the book? What understandings do they come to about death and those that have departed?

(see the answer keys)

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