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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. What does Otake drink a lot of during the game?

2. Why does Otake play first?

3. What is the Master able to do when he is playing a game?

4. Why does the Master play with white stones?

5. What does Uragami notice about the Master's right eyebrow?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Uragami associate with the Master and his death?

3. Why is the Master not a popular opponent?

4. How is the ceremony for the game of go described by Yasunari?

5. On the first day of play, what does Otake apologize for and why does he do this?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Wu. What is his role in the story? What was Kawabata trying to accomplish by creating the Wu' character in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Describe some of the settings for The Master of Go. What is the overall setting? How does Japan change over time? How is the Eastern part different from the Western part? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did the author choose to use these places in The Master of Go?

Essay Topic 3

Kawabata employed simple, minimalist, highly controlled, meticulous yet effective language contrasted with complex concepts. Both styles employed powerful symbolism. Choose an example of symbolism, briefly describe it, and identify the technique which it embodies.

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