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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is unusual about the coffee that Kazu pours for Gohtaro?
(a) It has a strong scent of cherry blossoms.
(b) It is clear, like water.
(c) It sparkles as if it has its own light source.
(d) It does not appear to be moving.

2. How were Shuichi and his wife killed?
(a) A traffic accident.
(b) A fire.
(c) A robbery.
(d) A plane crash.

3. Besides a love of insects, what does the narrator say links Japanese culture to the other culture discussed in the opening of "Mother and Son"?
(a) Language features.
(b) Traditional etiquette.
(c) Pottery techniques.
(d) Traditional foods.

4. Who convinces Gohtaro to finally go inside the café?
(a) The owner.
(b) The cook.
(c) The waitress.
(d) A regular customer.

5. According to Chapter I, "Best Friends," what do most lies have in common?
(a) They ruin relationships.
(b) They lead to regret.
(c) They prevent hurt feelings.
(d) They bolster the ego.

6. Who asks Kazu about her age?
(a) Nagare.
(b) Miki.
(c) Kiyoshi.
(d) Kyoko.

7. Where is the woman that Gohtaro thinks is the young girl's mother taking the child?
(a) To view the cherry blossoms.
(b) To buy supplies for the café.
(c) To see her newborn cousin.
(d) To her new-student orientation.

8. Why does Nagare ask Gohtaro if something is wrong with his coffee?
(a) He misunderstands Gohtaro's upset expression.
(b) He is trying to eavesdrop on Gohtaro and Shuichi's conversation.
(c) He is reminding Gohtaro of the passing time.
(d) He disapproves of the commotion Gohtaro and Shuichi are causing.

9. During the conversation between Kazu and Kyoko, what is Kiyoshi doing?
(a) Dozing over a novel.
(b) Staring at his notebook.
(c) Watching the ghost uneasily.
(d) Trying to get Kazu's attention.

10. When Gohtaro and Shuichi first meet again in the past, how does Gohtaro see himself acting in front of his old friend?
(a) Angry.
(b) Awed.
(c) Shy.
(d) Indifferent.

11. Why does Kiyoshi feel unsure about what to get his wife for her birthday?
(a) She has told him many times that she does not need presents from him.
(b) Their marriage is recent, and he does not know her very well yet.
(c) He has never bought her a birthday present before.
(d) She is a notoriously picky person, with eccentric tastes.

12. How many times did the man ask Kazu to be his girlfriend before she agreed?
(a) Four.
(b) Five.
(c) Three.
(d) Two.

13. From the context, what is it likely "sakura" means when Shuichi tells Haruka that "the sakura were in full bloom" on the day of her birth (36)?
(a) Chrysanthemums.
(b) Cherry blossoms.
(c) Hydrangeas.
(d) Irises.

14. How does Kyoko react to Nagare's suggestion about a present for Kiyoshi's wife?
(a) She laughs and tells Nagare he does not understand women.
(b) She praises it effusively, saying she wishes her husband thought like Nagare.
(c) She politely suggests a slight improvement in the plan.
(d) She dismisses it as completely unhelpful.

15. When Gohtaro travels into the past, what does the reader realize about the young man whom Gohtaro and Shuichi thought should be a rugby player?
(a) The young man is Kazu's father.
(b) The young man is Kaname's son.
(c) The young man is Nagare.
(d) The young man is a ghost.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the expression "in a pickle" mean (32)?

2. What does Kyoko believe about her brother not attending their mother's funeral?

3. What new café rule does the reader learn about in "Mother and Son"?

4. Who sings a song about crickets in the opening of "Mother and Son"?

5. What does Gohtaro surmise about the woman who seems to be the girl's mother from her conversation with Nagare?

(see the answer keys)

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