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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 is following Rodrigues as he is paraded through the streets?

2. With whom did Inoue formerly consult?

3. Where are the three peasants paraded?

4. What has Rodrigues not had to endure so far?

5. To whom does Rodrigues compare Kichijiro?

Short Essay Questions

1. What routine does Rodrigues settle into in Chapter 6?

2. Describe Rodrigues' meeting with the five samurai.

3. What is Yokose-no-Ura?

4. What happens to the elderly man in Chapter 6?

5. What does Rodrigues think when Kichijiro brings him rice?

6. From what does the snoring sound come?

7. What do Ferreria and Rodrigues talk about in Chapter 7?

8. What does the priest contemplate as he watches the death of the old man?

9. Where do the guards take Rodrigues in Chapter 5?

10. Describe the reappearance of Kichijiro in Chapter 6.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel is set mostly in Japan.

1) What meaning does Japan bring to the novel? What would you automatically presume about a novel that was set in Japan?

2) How different do you think today's Japan is to the Japan in the novel? How do you think the novel's meaning would change if it were set in today's Japan?

3) How do you think the Japanese settings contribute to the novel's spiritual meaning?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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