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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 are the audience members drinking during the puppet plays?

2. What does Misako express a determination to do in the letter from Takanatsu?

3. What does Kaname think about Aso's honesty in Chapter 7?

4. What does Kaname say has caused Misako to develop a hard, bitter edge?

5. What kind of people are said to have a popular tradition of going on pilgrimage in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does the hotel manager suggest Misako's father and his party should attend the theater? When does Misako's father want to go?

2. After six months of crying nightly, what did Misako finally admit to Kaname? What did Kaname and Misako agree to after her confession?

3. What establishment does Kaname go to when he reaches Kobe? Why does Kaname like to go to this place?

4. At the end of Chapter 14, what does Kaname realize he wants?

5. What does Misako's father explain Kaname did by allowing Misako to see Aso?

6. How did Japanese puppet shows originate?

7. What does Kaname think about the relationship between his father-in-law and O-hisa in Chapter 9?

8. What does Kaname look forward to seeing when he visits his father-in-law in Chapter 9? Why does Misako's father play the samisen with his eyes closed?

9. What does Kaname imagine about O-hisa at the end of Chapter 10?

10. At the end of Chapter 12, what makes Kaname think it is unacceptable for him to stay with Misako?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Tanizaki's use of contrast in the novel "Some Prefer Nettles." What are some examples of contrast? How do these examples relate to the themes of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Tanizaki's use of metaphor in the novel "Some Prefer Nettles." What are some examples of metaphor in the novel? How do these metaphors relate to the novel's themes?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of fantasy versus reality in the novel "Some Prefer Nettles." What are some of the fantasies that Kaname imagines throughout the novel? Why might he have these fantasies? How does his real life compare to his fantasies?

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