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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 is Komako's purpose in creating her catalog?

2. How old is Yukio?

3. How does Shimamura feel as he descends the mountain?

4. What does Komako do when Shimamura tries to touch her chest?

5. What does Shimamura say he often loses with himself?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Komako's living arrangements like?

2. What hobby interest does Shimamura have?

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

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

5. How does Komako express her liking of Shimamura when she visits his room at the inn on his second visit to the resort town?

6. What happens with Komako on a night during Shimamura's first visit to the resort town that contradicts a decision he made earlier?

7. What opinions does Shimamura express about Komako's catalog?

8. Why does Komako have to leave before daylight?

9. Why were there no geisha available when Shimamura requested one?

10. Why does Komako bite her own arm?

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 how the narrative is affected by the point of view used in the novel. What is kept hidden from the reader because of this point of view?

Essay Topic 3

Kawabata makes numerous allusions to the Tanabata legend. Discuss the effectiveness of this comparison in the story and why Kawabata makes the comparison.

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