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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. With what evocative metaphor does Kurosawa describe his smugness in the second chapter of this section?

2. How did Akira do as a military student?

3. Which ethnic group was hunted and killed in the darkness following September 1, 1923?

4. What did the Kendo instructor at Kurosawa's school do that ingratiated him to Kurosawa?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How was Kurosawa nearly killed on the way to school in this section?

4. How did young Uekusa prove foolhardy?

5. Who is Mr. Tachikawa?

6. Why was Akira sent to Toyokawa Village by his father?

7. Describe the memories of sound that Kurosawa describes at the end of this section?

8. Describe the memory of the dog in Babyhood?

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

10. What embarrassments did young Akira experience at his father's hometown?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the relationship Akira has with his older brother. When the author is young and considered a crybaby, what pointed differences exist between him and his brother? How does his brother toughen him up at this age, and what other tactics does his brother use to make him tougher over the years that follow? how does the relationship develop in the years leading to Akira's brother's suicide? What similarities between them become clear only after the brother's death?

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 the book, Akira Kurosawa maintains a sort of bemused, precise tone. Occasionally, though, the death of a loved one will elicit some deep emotional response. Write an essay detailing three of these occasions:

Part 1) Why does Akira Kurosawa only mention one of his sisters in the book? What is special about this particular sister, and what role did she play in young Akira's life? What particular elements of her death does the author mention, and how does this description affect him even as he writes them?

Part 2) Who is Aunt Togashi, and why is she so dear to young Akira? How old was she when she died, and what does Kurosawaa suspect was the cause of her death? What emotion does this elicit, and how is it different from the one his sister's death elicited?

Part 3) Discuss the profound impact Akira's father's death had on him as an adult. What action did Akira take upon receiving word of his father's passing? What experience did he have the next morning,a nd how was he able to convert it into a work of cinematic art?

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