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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. Why does the Master play with white stones?

2. Where do the players meet for the ceremonial opening of the game?

3. What does the Master appear to have trouble understanding, regarding the game?

4. How many times does the Master break the rules on the first day?

5. When the Master's opponent leaves, who is the only person with him at the inn?

Short Essay Questions

1. After the judges and reporters and Otake leave the inn, what does Uragami reflect upon?

2. What does Uragami notice in a photograph of the Master that he adds in his article?

3. What are some concessions made for the game that seem very difficult to follow?

4. What are the events that happen immediately after the end of the match?

5. Why is Otake teased in the newspaper articles about the match?

6. How are the two players described in the beginning of the book?

7. Why does the Master go into another room with his white stone?

8. What does Uragami do for the widow with care and deference after the Master's death?

9. Why does Uragami feel touched by seeing the Master in the outbuilding?

10. How does the Master seem to have trouble understanding the new rules?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Kawabata espouses a radical approach to game and thus related employment that would alter the structure of society. He describes the game player in The Master of Go as a proletariat like Marxian philosophy who is rebelling against the government in some ways. Describe the worker in The Master of Go. Do you think this is realistic and characteristic of today? Do you think the issues that Kawabata discusses are still relevant today and if so, in what ways?

Essay Topic 2

One of the main themes in the book is ethical and social responsibility. List at least four examples where Kawabata employs this specific theme. Is the battle between making ethical choices obvious or subtle? What characters are involved in this kind of battle? Do you think the right person or group won? Does good always triumph over evil in the case of The Master of Go ethics? Where do these definitions appear vague or incomprehensible?

Essay Topic 3

Explain Kawabata's use of humor in the book. Cite examples of at least two different instances of humor and explain why the author used them where he did.

(see the answer keys)

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