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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. On what date does the story "Husband and Wife" take place?

2. When Nagare pops his head out of the kitchen at the beginning of the story, what does he offer Kurata?

3. 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?

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

5. What happens immediately after Yukio leaves the café to make a phone call?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What happened when Kimiko tried to intervene in the mugging incident?

4. Why did Kiyoshi start to doubt whether he was suited to being a homicide detective?

5. How do Yukio's actions and emotions during the scene where he first sits down in the time-travel chair foreshadow his plan to not return to the present?

6. What comparison does Yukio make between his own situation and that of a character in Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird?

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

8. 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?

9. How did Kinuyo prove her devotion to her son over and over during his childhood?

10. What are the conditions that Kurata gives Fumiko for either bringing or not bringing Asami to the café?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the text's advice about dealing with regret differ from its advice about dealing with grief? What similarities are there between these two emotions, and what is the key difference between them that leads to the text advocating different ways of dealing with them? Write an essay in which you explore the text's position on the sources and impact of these two emotions as well as its differing advice for dealing with them. Use the examples of the time-travelers in the collection to support your assertions. Be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

The relationship between Yukio and his mother is one of mutual obligation to each other's happiness. This relationship gives their lives meaning, and their obligations to one another do not end with either's death. How does the relationship between Kazu and Kaname echo this relationship? What other kinds of relationships does the text present similarly, as a two-way system of obligation that transcends death? Write an essay in which you consider the text's messages about mutual obligation in intimate human relationships. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the text and be sure to cite any quoted evidence in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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