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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 does Komako tell Shimamura had worried her for a time?

2. How much snow is it said could possibly accumulate when Shimamura arrives in snow country?

3. What can be said of Komako's mood when she is with Shimamura in the first half of Part One of the novel?

4. What does Shimamura suddenly find himself enchanted by as he leaves to collect his money?

5. What does Shimamura say seems to be pulling him back to Komako from afar?

Short Essay Questions

1. What excuse does Shimamura use to leave his room with the geisha?

2. Where is Shimamura headed at the beginning of the story, and who does he plan to meet?

3. What do his mountain trips mean to Shimamura?

4. Why has Komako started working as a geisha, according to the person Kamako meets on his way home from Komako's room?

5. What distracts Shimamura after leaving his inn and the young geisha, and what does he do?

6. Describe Komako's situation at the time of her first meeting with Shimamura.

7. What secrets about herself does Komako reveal when she visits Shimamura's room at night during his second visit to the resort town?

8. What does Komako find upsetting in her diary?

9. What kind of relationship does Shimamura apparently want with Komako?

10. What effect does the weather have on Komako's visit Shimamura's room during his first visit to the resort town?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The geisha is a prominent figure in the novel "Snow Country". Discuss the role of geisha in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss common themes of Japanese literature. How does the novel "Snow Country" represent Japanese literature and Japanese culture as a whole?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the cold and isolated atmosphere of the novel. What is the author trying to express with this atmosphere?

(see the answer keys)

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