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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 say she will not do with Shimamura again?

2. Why does Komako say she has come to Shimamura's room?

3. When Komako comes to Shimamura's room drunk, what does she ask him to cut for her?

4. On their first full day together, what does Shimamura suggest Komako practice?

5. How does Shimamura describe the voice that he hears calling to Komako from the hallway?

Short Essay Questions

1. What warning does Shimamura's wife give him before his trip to the resort town?

2. What is the bird chasing festival?

3. What do Shimamura and Komako do the night before he is to leave for Tokyo?

4. Who is on the train with Shimamura when he leaves the resort town for the second time, and how do they disappoint him?

5. Why does Shimamura make his third trip to the resort town?

6. What is Komako's point in relating Kikuyu's story to Shimamura?

7. What reaction does Shimamura get from Komako when he asks about Yoko's living arrangements?

8. What is Komako's reaction to the news that Yukio is dying?

9. Why does Komako not want to visit Yukio's grave?

10. After Yukio's death, what does Komako inform Shimamura about Yoko in Part Two of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the ending of the book. What is your interpretation of the ending scene? What significance does it have in regards to the novel as a whole? Is the ending satisfactory?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the meaning of the seasons and the changing of the seasons in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of ambiguous scenes and characters in the novel. Discuss the author's use of ambiguity and why you think he so often leaves it to the reader to interpret.

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This section contains 750 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample