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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 question comes to mind when Blackthorne almost falls off the galley while Rodrigues is piloting?

2. Before the storm, who comes on deck to see Blackthorne piloting the ship while Rodrigues sleeps?

3. Who arrives and almost puts an end to the ruse Toranaga uses for his getaway?

4. How is Rodrigues found the morning after the storm?

5. What has Yabu decided to do against direct orders.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Blackthorne not take Rodrigues up on the offer to copy his rutters?

3. Why is the ship Toranaga is on unable to leave the harbor?

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

5. How is tension presented in Toranaga's character after meeting Ishido?

6. How is the Portuguese pilot, Rodrigues, introduced into the story?

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

8. What is the first indication of Yabu's ambition as Hiro-matsu arrives to see the Erasmus?

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

10. How does Toranaga communicate with Blackthorne on their first meeting?

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, 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.

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, Why I Loved (or Hated) SHÅŒGUN. This paper will be a critique of all the things you liked or did not like about Clavell's ability as a story teller, his use of language, his understanding of the Japanese culture, and his ability to keep interest up throughout the novel. Your conclusion will be either a recommendation of the novel or a pan of SHÅŒGUN.

(see the answer keys)

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