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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Why does Shuichi abruptly shift the conversation to Gohtaro's reasons for coming back into the past?
(a) He is embarrassed at Gohtaro's gratitude.
(b) He is aware that their time together is short.
(c) He is uncomfortable with the idea of time travel.
(d) He is alarmed by Gohtaro's tears.

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

4. What is a "mimetic expression" (47)?
(a) One that imitates the sound of the thing it names.
(b) One that conveys emphasis by understating a feeling.
(c) One that conveys a comparison indirectly.
(d) One that imitates a feeling generated by the thing it names.

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

6. What error does Gohtaro almost make when he sees how red Shuichi's eyes are after Shuichi understands that Gohtaro has come back in time?
(a) He almost gets up from the chair.
(b) He almost forgets his mission.
(c) He almost tries to change the past,
(d) He almost spills his coffee.

7. What did Kinuyo give her son when he left for Kyoto?
(a) A photograph.
(b) Money.
(c) A letter.
(d) A pocket watch.

8. What does Kazu refuse to allow Kyoko to pay for?
(a) Her son's second orange juice.
(b) Gohtaro's coffee.
(c) The sandwich for Kinuyo.
(d) The woman in white's bill.

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

10. 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) Language features.
(c) Traditional etiquette.
(d) Pottery techniques.

11. How old is Gohtaro's daughter?
(a) Nearly 19.
(b) Nearly 23.
(c) 25.
(d) 21.

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

13. What is the title of the book that the woman in the white dress used to read?
(a) Lovers.
(b) Samoa.
(c) Mother and Son.
(d) The Cherry Blossoms.

14. In what modern kind of text does the narrator explore the use of onomatopoeia and mimetic language?
(a) Video games.
(b) Comics.
(c) Pop songs.
(d) Movies.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Kazu meet the man who is now her boyfriend?

2. Why does Nagare ask Gohtaro if something is wrong with his coffee?

3. Who is Yamagishi Katsura?

4. What conclusion does Shuichi draw from the way Gohtaro handles the camera?

5. Whom does the narrative compare to "a sentry guarding a castle" (28)?

(see the answer keys)

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