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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 gift does Dorrigo recall giving to Amy before he departed in Section 3, Chapter 6?

2. What does Amy take off the first time she meets Dorrigo?

3. How much time has passed since Dorrigo left to fight in the war in Section 2, Chapter 27?

4. How far away is the prison camp that Major Nakamura is ordered to send 100 prisoners to in Section 2, Chapter 14?

5. How old is Amy in Section 2, Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Amy describe the beginning of her relationship with Keith in Section 2, Chapter 20?

2. How is Dorrigo's relationship with Tom described in the beginning of the novel?

3. What symbolic event occurs on the beach in Section 2, Chapter 17?

4. What internal conflicts does Dorrigo face in Section 2, Chapter 5?

5. What leads to Tiny Middleton being beaten in Section 3, Chapter 1? How do the prisoners react?

6. How would you describe the setting where Dorrigo grows up?

7. How are Amy's circumstances described in Section 2, Chapter 15? What internal conflicts is she grappling with?

8. How does the author depict the Japanese viewpoint of surrender in Section 1, Chapter 14?

9. How is Rooster MacNeice's relationship with the book Mein Kampf described in Section 3, Chapter 3?

10. What does Colonel Kota remark about the act of beheading in Section 2, Chapter 16?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of cultural contrasts, loyalty, and patriotism in the novel. How would you describe the cultural differences between the Japanese soldiers and the Australian soldiers in the narrative? How does Dorrigo perceive the loyalty of the English soldiers at the nearby camp? How are the concepts of loyalty and patriotism illustrated in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the nonlinear structure and narrative style of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Is the narrator of the story involved in the action? Why do you think that the author chooses to relate the narrative in this manner? How does the author indicate the transitions back and forth through time? How is the structure of the story affected by its nonlinear narrative style?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author’s depictions of gender in The Narrow Road to the Deep North. What were gender expectations like for women in the 1940s when the novel takes place? Do you think that the women in the story adhere to those gender standards? Why or why not? Are the women in the novel portrayed as three-dimensionally as the men?

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