View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The U.S. Relocation Authority announced that Japanese islanders

2. The adolescent Ishmael accepted the inevitability of

3. Ishmael's father, as the local newspaper owner,

4. After the kiss on the beach, Ishmael finds himself

5. During the time that Kabuo is in jail

Short Essay Questions

1. What makes Hatsue and Ishmael close?

2. What stops Ishmael and Hatsue from having sexual relations in the hollow tree?

3. Ishmael's experience at war is as horrendous as it gets. What is his attitude toward Hatsue by now, and why?

4. Why does Kabuo's attorney, Nels, challenge him to a game of chess before they discuss the case?

5. What has caused Ishmael Chambers to be so cynical?

6. Why does Hatsue's mother tear up the letter she has written to Ishmael's parents?

7. This chapter is full of symbolism. What is the most sensual event that Guterson describes between Hatsue and Ishmael?

8. Although serious, this trial still has the feel of a small town affair. What are some reasons for that?

9. Describe the situation between Hatsue and Ishmael after the Pearl Harbor attack.

10. What interrupts the Miyamotos' purchase of seven acres of the Heines' property

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Where in our country is the largest concentration of strawberry farming? Research and write an essay on strawberry farming in America. What is the perfect climate and soil for strawberry farming? Is the farming still primarily done by workers of a different nationality? What is the percentage of strawberries that are imported into our country compared with what we grow domestically?

Essay Topic 2

Among so many other topics, Guterson touches on what it is like to have a physical deficit, such as Ishmael's missing arm. Write a persuasive argument about whether we, as a culture, provide sufficient conveniences for those with disabilities. Look up the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act), and determine whether the laws that govern public places have taken into account people like Ishmael Chambers, who is forced to do everything with one arm and hand.

Essay Topic 3

Review Hatsue's childhood in this book and join the Imada family in your imagination. Write an essay about the Imadas' lifestyle and determine whether it is one that you could tolerate or not. Were there certain choices made by the Imadas that made life more difficult for them, or were they totally at the mercy of their circumstances? What about their lives is pleasant, and what is not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 926 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample