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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens immediately after Yukio leaves the café to make a phone call?
(a) Kazu locks the outer door.
(b) The ghost gets up from her seat.
(c) Nagare bumps into him on the stairs.
(d) He realizes that he has left his phone inside.

2. What kind of dancer does the narrator compare Kazu to as she pours the coffee?
(a) A flamenco dancer.
(b) A ballerina.
(c) A kabuki dancer.
(d) A Shinto shrine dancer.

3. After Kiyoshi learns about the time-travel rules in the café, what does he become curious about?
(a) The reason why only women from the Tokita family can pour the coffee.
(b) The motivations of the people who use this service.
(c) The number of people who have died using the service.
(d) Where the special time-travel chair came from.

4. Prior to Kiyoshi's trip into the past, how many people have used the café to travel back in time to meet someone who has died?
(a) 41.
(b) 7.
(c) 4.
(d) 17.

5. When Kurata visits the café to learn more about the time-travel rules, which rule is he most interested in clarifying?
(a) The rule about drinking the coffee before it gets cold.
(b) The rule about only being able to meet people who visit the café.
(c) The rule about not being able to change reality by traveling in time.
(d) The rule about not leaving the time-travel seat during time travel.

6. In Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird, where do Tyltyl and Mytyl encounter the child with the terrible fate?
(a) The Kingdom of the Enchanters.
(b) The Kingdom of Sorrow.
(c) The Kingdom of Desire.
(d) The Kingdom of the Future.

7. How old was Yukio when he accepted the wholesaler's offer?
(a) Late twenties.
(b) Early twenties.
(c) Early thirties.
(d) Late thirties.

8. What detail does the narrator offer about the wholesaler that foreshadows his eventual disappearance?
(a) No one in Kyoto has heard of him before.
(b) His business is newly established.
(c) He does not pay his bills on time.
(d) He complains of large debts.

9. What distinctive item of clothing does Kiyoshi wear?
(a) A string tie.
(b) A jadeite ring.
(c) A leather jacket.
(d) A hunting cap.

10. How long ago did Kiyoshi's wife die?
(a) 15 years.
(b) 5 years.
(c) 30 years.
(d) 3 years.

11. What order is Kyoko waiting for at the beginning of the story?
(a) A to-go breakfast.
(b) Daifuku for her husband.
(c) Her usual coffee.
(d) A Christmas cake.

12. What is Fumiko's job?
(a) Systems engineer.
(b) Neurosurgeon.
(c) Television presenter.
(d) Online marketing.

13. What is implied when the narrator says that, upon hearing of his mother's death, Yukio "heard a tautly stretched string snapping inside his head" (66)?
(a) He felt deep shame at having stayed away from his mother for so long.
(b) He was enraged at Kyoko's duplicity and wanted revenge.
(c) He realized that nothing more prevented him from committing suicide.
(d) He decided that there was no longer any reason to strive to repay his debt.

14. What sound does the story end with?
(a) A cricket chirping.
(b) Miki singing.
(c) The clocks chiming.
(d) Coffee brewing.

15. What is Kinuyo's interpretation of Kazu's intentions in adding the stirrer to Yukio's cup and asking him to pass on her regards to his mother?
(a) Kazu was apologizing to Kinuyo for allowing Yukio to attempt suicide.
(b) Kazu was trying to warn Kinuyo that she must get to a doctor soon,
(c) Kazu was asking Kinuyo to accomplish a final task that only Kinuyo could accomplish.
(d) Kazu was hoping that Kinuyo might find a solution to Kazu's mother's situation.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Kinuyo sometimes send Yukio in her care packages?

2. Who enters the café just after Kurata finally finishes his coffee and disappears?

3. When the narrator describes Kazu's voice as having "gravitas," what quality is he ascribing to her voice (67)?

4. What illness did Yukio contract when he was two years old?

5. What lie about the future does Kiyoshi tell Kimiko toward the end of their conversation?

(see the answer keys)

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