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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 brings about palpitations and pain in the chest of one of the people at the game?

2. After the play of what move does Otake take the offensive and the advantage?

3. How is Wu, regarding his comments about the game between the Master and Otake?

4. Who wonders if perhaps it is not just the heat of the moment that makes the Master accuse Otake of a kind of cheating?

5. What do the Master's moves in the game do for his position?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Uragami say will happen if Otake forfeits the game?

2. How are the rules changed to adjust to the Master's health?

3. What happens when Uragami goes to the master and asks him to wait for a day?

4. Why does Otake consider forfeiting because of the new rules?

5. Why does the Master's wife want to hide details about his health?

6. How does the Master make Otake play conservatively?

7. Why does Otake think the Master should not play in August?

8. As an amateur, what does Uragami fail to see about the Master's brilliant move?

9. Why do the judges and organizers appeal to Otake to play?

10. Why is play in August delayed, initially?

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

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.

Essay Topic 3

Knowledge is an important concept of the book. Who has knowledge, and in what way? Who loses or gains knowledge? Is Shusai's desire for knowledge the same as that of Otake? What is different about them? What about the members of the team Shusai was on? In what ways were these individuals similar in their pursuit of knowledge or influence, and in what ways were they different?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 723 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample