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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Yukio regret it immediately after he blurts out that it looks as if Kinuyo has lost weight?
(a) He suspects that his mother's poverty prevents her from getting enough food.
(b) He knows that it is impolite to comment on his mother's appearance.
(c) Her weight has always been a sore subject with Kinuyo.
(d) He does not want to draw attention to her illness.

2. When Yukio arrives in the past, what is Nagare doing?
(a) Talking with a ghost in old-fashioned clothes.
(b) Wiping glasses clean.
(c) Grinding coffee beans.
(d) Waving to a child with a red backpack.

3. Who helped Kiyoshi choose the necklace for his wife?
(a) Kyoko.
(b) Kazu.
(c) Kinuyo.
(d) Miki.

4. What color is the dress that Miki choose to wear to pour the coffee?
(a) Black.
(b) White.
(c) Pink.
(d) Red.

5. In the opening of "Husband and Wife," what shape is Nagare folding napkins into?
(a) Turtles.
(b) Tigers.
(c) Cranes.
(d) Frogs.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. How old was Yukio when he accepted the wholesaler's offer?

3. What surprising event ends this story?

4. What does Goro think is probably true about Kurata's meeting with Asami?

5. What is Kurata's attitude after he speaks with Asami and finally drinks the last of his coffee?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Kimiko have such a strong emotional reaction to the gift from Kiyoshi?

2. What lies does Yukio tell his mother about taking care of himself, and why does he tell these lies?

3. When Miki writes her wish that Nagare would become happy, how does Nagare react?

4. What complication almost prevents Kiyoshi from traveling back in time, and how does Nagare solve the problem?

5. What does Kinuyo explain to Yukio about the silver stirrer, and what does he realize this means Kinuyo knows?

6. What news about Yukio does the reader learn in "Lovers"?

7. How does Yaeko Hirai's story inspire Kiyoshi to make a change in the way he has been living his life?

8. What is Fumiko's relationship to the café?

9. What role did Kinuyo play in Kazu's recovery from her mother's death?

10. A year prior to the events of "Husband and Wife," what does Kiyoshi see in the café and what does it make him realize is true?

(see the answer keys)

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