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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. Where are the peasants forced to work?

2. What does one peasant fall sick from?

3. In what does Ferreira say the Japanese have never believed?

4. Where are the peasants made to dig three holes?

5. What does the interpreter try and persuade Rodrigues to do?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What do Rodrigues and Inoue discuss in Chapter 7?

3. How does Rodrigues react to the sound of his jailer snoring?

4. What ultimatum does the samurai give Rodrigues in Chapter 5?

5. What are Rodrigues' feelings towards Ferreira?

6. How is Rodrigues humiliated at the beginning of Chapter 8?

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

8. Why can Rodrigues and Ferreira no longer get along?

9. Why did Ferreira decide to apostatize?

10. From what does the snoring sound come?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Pick a character from the novel and discuss his goals and motives. Does he achieve his motives? Why? Does he share similar goals and motives with other characters? Do his goals clash with other characters? How does the character's goals and motives affect his interaction with other characters?

Essay Topic 2

Look at the structure of the novel.

1) How does Endo use character and dialogue to drive the narrative?

2) Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the novel's themes?

3) Aside from the main character, Rodrigues, examine the way Endo uses the other characters in the story. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 732 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample