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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. Where did Kaname first see Aso with Misako?

2. What does Kaname fail to admit when Misako asks him if he has found someone else?

3. How long does O-hisa wander around looking for a bathroom?

4. What instrument does O-hisa play while Kaname and Misako's father talk?

5. How does Misako's father criticize O-hisa's singing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Kaname think when he hears Aso will not make Misako any promises?

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

3. What has Misako's father done to ensure O-hisa will be taken care of after he dies?

4. What popular tradition among stylish gentlemen is explained in Chapter 9?

5. What did Kaname notice about Misako after she met Aso?

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

7. How does Kaname explain Misako has changed in Chapter 14?

8. What memory does Kaname recall as he is listening to the samisen music? Why does he think this memory is significant?

9. What does Louise claim about her lineage, and what is the truth? What does Louise do to appeal to Kaname?

10. In Chapter 10, what does O-hisa say she would rather be doing than going to see the theater shows?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of adultery in the novel "Some Prefer Nettles." What are some examples of adultery in the novel? Describe Kaname's adulterous relationship with Louise. Describe Misako's adulterous relationship with Aso. How do these relationships affect the marriage between Kaname and Misako?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of East versus West in the novel "Some Prefer Nettles." What are some examples of Western influences in the novel? What does Kaname think of the Western influences? Which characters symbolize the East and which characters symbolize the West?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and interpret Kaname's epiphany. What does he finally come to realize? What events or moments cause him to reach this realization? How might his epiphany change his life?

(see the answer keys)

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