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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. Who tells the priests what happened in the village?

2. About what does Garrpe question Kichijiro?

3. What is the name of the Japanese man the priests find?

4. Where do the priests hide to view what is happening in the village?

5. What do the two men want the priest to perform in their village?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the two priests decide when asked to go to another village?

2. What does the reader learn in the prologue?

3. Why does Garrpe again interrogate Kichijiro about his religion?

4. In what way do Garrpe and Rodrigues' opinions differ when the two men ask them to come to their village?

5. How does the village cope with the raid in Chapter 4?

6. Why does it seem the priests cannot enter Japan?

7. What do the two priests decide to do in Chapter 4?

8. What happens to Mokichi and Ichizo?

9. How do the sailors know they have reached land?

10. How does Kichijiro agree to help the two priests?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the novel's chronological setting.

1) What were the main concerns in Japan during the 17th century. How does Endo express these concerns?

2) How would the novel's meaning change if it were set in today's society?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the history of Christianity in Japan.

1) Who brought Christianity into Japan and how did the Japanese initially react to the religion?

2) Why were Christians persecuted in the 17th century?

3) What role does Christianity play in modern day Japan?

Essay Topic 3

Silence is described as historical fiction and therefore the reader would expect aspects of the novel to be historically accurate. What parts of the novel do you think have to be accurate? In what parts does Endo need to exaggerate the truth and why? Can such a book ever be regarded as an accurate historical account?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 702 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample