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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. At the end of The Long Red Brick Wall, what did Kurosawa do as he walked to school?

2. Which of the following is not a physical reaction that Kurosawa had to being challenged in primary school?

3. In Calligraphy, what is Kurosawa's feeling about his childhood teacher?

4. What relation was Togashi to Akira?

5. In Morimura Gakuen, Kusosawa argues that children should not be judged merely by what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Years later, what does Kurosawa think about his brother's insistence that they explore the carnage?

2. What is Akira Kurosawa's earliest memory?

3. How did young Akira put is Kendo into practice in self-defense?

4. How was Kuosawa's new art teacher different from Mr. Tachikawa?

5. How did Kurosawa's brother toughen him up as a child?

6. In Honor and Revere, how did Akira improve his math skills?

7. In Whirlwind, what sort of decline did Akira's older brother have?

8. What bad relationship did Akira develop at Keika Middle School?

9. How did young Uekusa prove foolhardy?

10. How was young Akira humbled in The Goblin's Nose?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the relationship between Uekusa and Akira Kurosawa in the book. To what extent does Akira represent the intellect and Uekusa the heart? What romantic and foolhardy exploits does Uekusa undertake at a young age? Does he succeed in any of them? How does Akira deal with girls and danger at this same age? What professional relationship develops between these two men later?

Essay Topic 2

In the opening chapters of the book, Akira discusses the long days of school and activities he had as a pre-adolescent. Each of these extracurricular activities explains something about Akira's passions and attitudes toward the world. Write a three-part essay about these activities:

Part 1) How did Akira get involved in the kendo class? To what extent was his inclusion in the class something of a victory, one that refuted the assertion that he was a weakling? What other duties came with kendo? How did Akira eventually find his training put to good use?

Part 2) What was Akira's attitude toward his calligraphy lessons? Discuss why Akira's father was so insistent that his son take them. What about the calligraphy tutor was subpar or unhelpful, and how did the author deal with these classes? How did he eventually get out of them?

Part 3) Why was Mr. Tachikawa's house the last stop on Akira's itinerary every day? What was the significance of this visit, and why was it something that the author looked forward to all day? What function did Mr. Tachikawa serve in Akira's life?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, Akira Kurosawa finds his way through the film industry with contemporaries. Write an essay about three individuals of approximate age to his. How did each affect his decisions regarding the career of filmmaking? To what extent is each a collaborator and a foil to him? Does he break company with any of them? If so, what is the reason for this parting, and how does it affect Akira?

Part 1) Akira's brother.

Part 2) Uekusa.

Part 3) Mifune Toshiro.

(see the answer keys)

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