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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What reason does Kyoko give for being so pleased that Kazu has a boyfriend?
(a) She thinks that Kazu will be a wonderful mother someday.
(b) She has often been concerned that Kazu leads a lonely life.
(c) Her mother often expressed a wish that Kazu be happily married.
(d) Her own marriage is her greatest source of happiness.

2. What causes most potential customers to lose interest in the café's ability to send people back in time?
(a) They do not have the patience to wait as long as necessary for the time-traveling seat to be available.
(b) They realize that they will not be able to follow all of the café's rules.
(c) They are disappointed that they will not be able to change anything about the present.
(d) They find that the hidden cost of going back in time is too much to bear.

3. When Gohtaro returns to the present, what is the first thing that he wants to do?
(a) Find out from Kazu who Kaname really is.
(b) Check the recording of Shuichi to make sure it was not all a dream.
(c) Thank Nagare for saving him twice during his journey into the past.
(d) Get out of the ghost chair before Kaname returns.

4. What is Kyoko's reaction to Kazu asking about her brother?
(a) She is anxious.
(b) She is startled.
(c) She is irritated.
(d) She is embarrassed.

5. While Gohtaro is fumbling with the camera on page 34, what does Shuichi tell him he still needs to work on?
(a) His "closing skills."
(b) His "endgame."
(c) His "slight of hand."
(d) His "poker face."

6. In her lyrics on page 56, to what does Miki compare Nagare?
(a) A farting insect.
(b) A sputtering kettle.
(c) A long fall night.
(d) A barnyard smell.

7. What does the expression "in a pickle" mean (32)?
(a) Unable to make a move.
(b) In a tricky situation.
(c) In a sour mood.
(d) Unable to understand.

8. Where did Miki get her red backpack from?
(a) It is Kyoko's son's old backpack.
(b) Her mother gave it to her.
(c) She got it from school.
(d) Kazu bought it for her.

9. Whom does Gohtaro think that the woman who seems to be the young girl's mother looks very like?
(a) Kazu.
(b) Kaname.
(c) Kyoko.
(d) Miki.

10. What is Shuichi's primary response to seeing the camera that Gohtaro has brought with him?
(a) Shuichi refuses to believe that the object is a camera.
(b) Shuichi is jealous that Gohtaro can afford such things.
(c) Shuichi is suspicious about Gohtaro wanting to record him.
(d) Shuichi is impressed with the technology.

11. Why does Kazu especially enjoy the café after closing?
(a) She likes to work quietly without thinking.
(b) She is not much of a "people person."
(c) She knows that it means she will be back home soon.
(d) She takes pride in cleaning and straightening the café.

12. 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) Traditional foods.
(b) Pottery techniques.
(c) Traditional etiquette.
(d) Language features.

13. Why does Gohtaro hesitate to enter the café?
(a) He is afraid that seeing his old friend will be too sad.
(b) He is not sure that the stories about the café are true.
(c) He is not sure that he wants his daughter to know the truth.
(d) He is afraid that going back in time will be dangerous.

14. What can the reader infer from the conversation between Nagare and the woman who seems to be the girl's mother?
(a) Kyoko has been coming to the café since she was a child.
(b) Mrs. Kinuyo used to have a much more active role in running the café.
(c) Nagare was not the owner of the café twenty-two years ago.
(d) Miki is Nagare's adopted daughter.

15. What did Gohtaro and his friend notice about the young man who ran the cash register at the café?
(a) His eye color.
(b) His rough hands.
(c) His smile.
(d) His height.

Short Answer Questions

1. What causes Gohtaro to panic when he first realizes he has returned to the past?

2. What does Kazu suggest that Kiyoshi should get for his wife's birthday?

3. When does Kazu tell Miki she will be old enough to pour the coffee?

4. 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)?

5. What is distinctive about the taste of the coffee served at the café?

(see the answer keys)

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