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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 page 59, what does a street kid let Annabelle take from a dumpster?

2. In Chapter 26, which of Paul Klee's paintings does Benny find?

3. In Chapter 32, where do the Aleph and Benny find Slavoj, the Bottleman?

4. How many levels are there to the library in Chapter 16?

5. What month was Benny born?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Kenji live at a Zen temp for a time, and how did he start playing jazz?

2. How is Benny the first summer and fall after Kenji's death?

3. What apron is Annabelle wearing in Chapter 28, and where did she get it?

4. How is Annabelle strugging at the psychiatrist's office in Chapter 9?

5. What does Annabelle know about Kenji's family?

6. What does Benny hear when he steps on some Christmas ornaments?

7. How does Benny write himself an excuse to miss school and monitor his mother's email account?

8. How is Kenji hit by a truck driver?

9. What is the philosophy of the author of Tidy Magic?

10. When Benny used to go to story hour at the library, where did he like to sit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Puns are figures of speech that involve wordplay and double means or using words that sound similar but have different meanings. How does Kenji use puns? How and why does the fact that English is Kenji’s second language affect his use of puns?

Essay Topic 2

Imagery is a literary device authors use to describe people in a narrative and the world they inhabit. Imagery involves using the five senses to describe individuals, places, and things. How does Ozeki use imagery to help readers imagine the world, events, and characters in The Book of Form and Emptiness?

Essay Topic 3

An allusion is a figure of speech that does not directly refer to a person, place, or thing. What are some allusions in The Book of Form and Emptiness? Why might it be difficult to decipher an allusion just by the context of a passage in a book? How do the allusions Ozeki uses help readers’ understanding of characters or concepts?

(see the answer keys)

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