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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Gohtaro was originally in the café, twenty-two years ago, what did he notice about the person sitting in the ghost chair?

2. 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"?

3. Which author is quoted near the beginning of Chapter I, "Best Friends"?

4. According to Chapter I, "Best Friends," what do most lies have in common?

5. Which best describes Shuichi's reaction when he returns from the restroom and sees the much-older Gohtaro?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which element of Gohtaro and Shuichi's relationship in college foreshadows their relationship outside of college?

2. When Shuichi tells Haruka in his message, "If it is for you, I can do anything," what does this foreshadow (36)?

3. Why does the narrator use vague language to describe the tears falling during the encounter between Shuichi and Gohtaro?

4. Why is Kyoko not interested in using the café's time-traveling service to go back in time to try to fix the problem with her brother?

5. When Gohtaro wakes up just after eight o'clock, what does Miki try to do, and how do her father and Kazu react?

6. How did Gohtaro end up raising Shuichi's daughter?

7. Why does Gohtaro want to travel to the past?

8. When Gohtaro first sees Shuichi in the past, why does the gesture of putting his hand around his coffee cup cause Gohtaro to suddenly panic about his own ability to communicate?

9. What has fatherhood been like for Gohtaro?

10. Why is Kazu especially concerned with whether Kyoko's brother understands the rule about not being able to change the present?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Now that you are aware of how difficult it is to translate Japanese literature into English, consider which specific passages of Tales from the Café might have proven especially difficult for Trousselot to translate. For instance, when Kyoko is introduced on page 7, Trousselot writes, "Obviously caring little for formalities with strangers, she spoke to Gohtaro casually, as if he was a familiar face." Do you imagine that this sentence was necessary in the original, Japanese, text? How did Kawaguchi probably indicate this aspect of Kyoko's character? Even with this explicit explanation, does the English text really convey the impact that Kyoko's unexpected and unconventional language probably conveyed in the original? Also, consider the many subtle, elliptical conversations between Nagare and Kazu: what might be missing from the English translation that the original Japanese could easily convey? Write an essay that considers these and other aspects of translation in Tales from the Café. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, and be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Now that you have read Kawaguchi's complete collection, what moves do you see him making as an author to convince the reader to accept time-travel within his narrative? Does he take a more magical or scientific approach, or is it a blend of both? How do the café's "rules" for time-travel fit into this? How do details like descriptions of the café itself, the coffee ceremony, and the time-travelers' perceptions during the experience support your interpretation? Write an essay in which you analyze Kawaguchi's approach to time-travel and evaluate its impact on the reader. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, and be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

In Tales from the Café, the cherry blossoms and bell cricket function as symbols of spring and fall. In a later story, a Christmas tree and Christmas cake indicate that winter has come. On the surface, the Christmas tree and cake seem very different from the other two seasonal symbols--they are predominantly associated with Western culture and Christianity, and are associated with a specific holiday rather than with the natural change of seasons. Do some research into the role of Christmas in Japanese culture and then write an essay that demonstrates why these symbols have more in common than it first appears. Show how Christmas symbolism, because of its particular history in Japan, is appropriate in a collection that uses seasonal symbols to stress the cyclical nature of hope and despair. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text, and be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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