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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What color did Shonagon say a cat's back should be?
(a) Orange.
(b) Grey.
(c) Black.
(d) White.

2. What was nice to hear while snuggling under the covers with a lover in the winter?
(a) A purring cat.
(b) A flute.
(c) A temple gong.
(d) Bellowing cows.

3. What did Yukinari tell Shonagon he was saying to the woman she saw him speaking with near the garden fence?
(a) He was telling her to meet him later.
(b) He was urging her to marry him.
(c) He was telling her not to leave.
(d) He was telling her he loved her.

4. What title was Norimitsu awarded after his falling out with Shonagon?
(a) Lieutenant of the Guards.
(b) Assistant Governor of Totomi.
(c) Middle Counsellor.
(d) Governor of Suruga.

5. What did Shonagon say gentlemen should always have lest she find them boring?
(a) Money.
(b) Nice clothes.
(c) Escorts.
(d) Quick tongues.

6. What shade of plum blossom brought Shonagon the most pleasure?
(a) Red.
(b) Yellow.
(c) White.
(d) Blue.

7. Who came out of the house to inquire whether or not "Lord So-and-so's" attendants had arrived yet in the section titled "Once When I Was Passing?"
(a) A young boy.
(b) A cook.
(c) The Empress.
(d) A pretty kitchen-maid.

8. What did Shonagon enjoy seeing men carry to and fro as the Festival approached?
(a) Flowers for the ladies.
(b) Decorations for the palace.
(c) Rolls of material.
(d) Loaves of bread.

9. What tree's blossoms did Shonagon consider prosaic and vulgar, but later changed her mind about?
(a) Peach tree.
(b) Orange tree.
(c) Cherry tree.
(d) Pear tree.

10. What did Shonagon say an ugly preacher might be?
(a) Interesting.
(b) Successful.
(c) A source of sin.
(d) A deterrent of sin.

11. Who did Shonagon say was splendid in spite of their low station?
(a) A Chamberlain of the Sixth Rank.
(b) A Middle Counselor.
(c) A Governor.
(d) A Lieutenant of the Guard.

12. In the section titled "One Day When the Emperor Visited Her Majesty's Rooms" what did the Emperor bring with him on his visit?
(a) Flowers.
(b) A mandolin.
(c) A fan.
(d) A lute.

13. In the section titled "I Was Standing in a Corridor," what were the servants carrying?
(a) Shoes.
(b) Blankets.
(c) Baskets of fruit.
(d) Attractively wrapped bundles and bags.

14. Which worm was said to have been begotten by a demon?
(a) Basket worm.
(b) Earth worm.
(c) Silk worm.
(d) Inch worm.

15. What color of under-robe was depressing in the Eighth Month?
(a) Black.
(b) Blue.
(c) White.
(d) Red.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was wrong with the appearance of the escorts that Shonagon saw while visiting the palace to see the horses on the first day of the First Month?

2. What kind of carriage was supposed to move slowly according to Shonagon?

3. In the section titled "It Was During One of Her Majesty's Periods of Residence," what did the women go outside to see in the early morning?

4. How did Shonagon say the sky should appear on the fifth day of the Fifth Month?

5. What did Shonagon see someone spreading on the ground while traveling in her carriage one day?

(see the answer keys)

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