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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 did Kurosawa's teachers at Morimura Gakuen mistakenly believe about him?

2. In The Fragrance of Meiji, the Sounds of Taisho, Kurosawa recalls the smells and sounds of what year in Japan?

3. Where is young Akira in his earliest memory?

4. What changed for Akira Kurosawa after the fight described in Murasaki and Shonagon?

5. When the Depression hits Japan, what did Akira felt bad about his parents paying for what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What importance does Kurosawa place on mentors in Honor and Revere?

2. How does Kurosawa compare his parents' personalities in Kendo?

3. Describe the memory of the dog in Babyhood?

4. In Keika Middle School, how does Kurosawa refute the assessment that he was no good at sports?

5. What happened on September 1, 1923?

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

7. Why did Akira Kurosawa dislike his calligraphy tutor?

8. Who is Mr. Tachikawa?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Akira Kurosawa's SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY deals with the author's transition from insecure child to confident - even egotistical - adult. Write an essay about three defining and transforming moments in this transition:

Part 1) Akira is a crybaby and a weakling when he enters Mr. Tachikawa's class. What talents and opportunities does Mr. Tachikawa's instruction open up to him? How does Mr. Tachikawa empower both Akira and Uekusa? How does the teacher remain a fixture in the author's life for decades following?

Part 2) What are Akira's faults and weaknesses when Mr. Iwamatsu becomes his teacher? How does Mr. Iwamatsu foster his desire to learn in the midst of a rebellious phase? How does the author's skills improve over the course of his time with this teacher?

Part 3) How does Kajiro Yamamoto prove pivotal to the author's development as an artist? What role does Akira play on Kajiro Yamamoto's sets? Discuss the film skills that Akira develops under this director and how Yamamoto continues to play a role in his life.

Essay Topic 2

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?

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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