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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 lie does Blackthorne continue to tell?

2. Why does Rodrigues go aboard the Erasmus?

3. What does Domingo say about the prisoners in the place where he and Blackthorne are?

4. How do Blackthorne and his men determine which of them will be executed?

5. What prevents Rodrigues from breaking the seal on the thing he is delivering to Toranaga?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the change in Toranaga's orders related to Blackthorne after he is removed from prison.

2. What is the diversion that allows Toranaga, dressed as a woman, to change places with Kiri in the palanquin?

3. What does Blackthorne tell Toranaga at their first meeting that puzzled him?

4. After escaping the harbor, when Blackthorne awakes from his exhausted sleep, what does he find Toranaga doing?

5. How does John Blackthorne arrive in Japan?

6. What does Blackthorne insist on as soon as he gets the galley into a safe harbor?

7. What sets up the conflict between Blackthorne and Omi that lasts for the remainder of the novel?

8. After they become more acquainted, what does Rodrigues allow Blackthorne to do?

9. How is the conflict between Toranaga and Ishido presented as Ishido is introduced into the novel?

10. How does Omi persuade Blackthorne to come out of the pit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Assimilating Another Culture. Using Blackthorne as your example, note the ways in which Blackthorne changes as he comes under the influence of Mariko. Discuss his changing attitudes toward cleanliness, food, and seppuku that help him eventually to become accepted by the Japanese.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Why People Go to Sea. Points in your essay should center around various reasons people have historically gone to sea. Use examples from SHÅŒGUN and other literature such as MOBY DICK or THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA to define motives for going to sea. Conclude with your opinion about whether you would consider going to sea as a sailor rather than a passenger.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Feudalism in Shōgun. Your points should include the use of peasants as slave labor, the exorbitant taxes placed on them, and the fear the ruling class has at the idea of peasants having access to guns.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 647 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample