View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What role does the Master play in his art?

2. Who has died at the beginning of Chapter 1?

3. What does Otake say he will do instead of changing rules?

4. What is the Koyokan?

5. What role does the timekeeper have in the game?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Uragami admit to having for the Master?

2. How does Kawabata frame the novel through Chapters 2 and 4?

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

4. What is the ceremonial opening for the go game like?

5. How does the Master reveal his desire for enough time to not worry about time in games?

6. What is the controversy surrounding the match he had with Wu?

7. How does Uragami explain why the Master fails to thank people on his own?

8. Why is Otake willing to forfeit the game?

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

10. What does the Master do that reveals his intensely competitive nature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Kawabata mentioned some stereotypes associated with playing go. How were stereotypes often based in myth? What aspects of stereotypes seemed real? With go, many myths abounded in relation to mastery and intuition. What were they? Were they believable? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

In The Master of Go, Kawabata's Japanese society shows a conscious appreciation for game playing. What do you think of the game "go" that the Master excels at? Which aspects do you find more or less appealing? How is game playing also associated with power and rebellion?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 883 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample