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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following did Shonagon include on her list of presumptuous things?
(a) Sneezing.
(b) Coughing.
(c) Foot shuffling.
(d) Burping.

2. When did Shonagon say people walking about laughing loudly are enviable?
(a) During times of abstinence.
(b) When one is sad.
(c) When one is ill.
(d) Late at night.

3. Who did Shonagon say was especially likely to be confronted with shameful things if he was a light sleeper?
(a) The Emperor.
(b) An oxen driver.
(c) A priest.
(d) A Chamberlain.

4. Which of these was included in the list of things that had lost their power?
(a) A large tree that was blown down.
(b) An ancient Emperor.
(c) A dead fish washed up on a beach.
(d) A retreating storm.

5. In "One Evening during the Reign of Emperor Murakami" what was causing smoke to come from the brazier?
(a) A burning notebook.
(b) A rat.
(c) A cedar branch.
(d) A frog.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who came to check on the Empress due to the heavy snow even though it was an abstinence day?

2. How many attendants helped the Shigei Sha with her ablutions?

3. What time of day did the Shigei Sha arrive at the Palace to see the Empress?

4. When Shonagon went to a temple for a retreat and was kneeling to pray, what did a priest bring her?

5. A promotion to what rank changed a man who was previously a Subordinate Official so much that he seemed to have been reborn?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Shonagon say that no one pays attention to a Palace Chaplain when he walks by?

2. Why was Shonagon concerned about having to write the opening lines to a few lines of poetry she received when Kinto was present?

3. What did Shonagon hope to find out by seeing the Shigei Sha and what conclusion did she come to?

4. Why did Shonagon say that a woman who leaves home because she is angry with her husband has lost power?

5. Why did Tadanobu tell Nobukata about the secret code he and Shonagon spoke in?

6. Why was Shonagon happy to receive a note from a man that read "the rain that swells the water?"

7. Why did Shonagon prefer that the envoys in the Special Festival at Kamo keep their faces concealed with wisteria?

8. Why did the Empress say that she could understand why Shonagon would be particularly impressed by Tadanobu's finding the perfect lines to say at a gathering following a service for the late Chancellor?

9. Why was Shonagon impressed when the Empress guessed that the cherry blossoms had been ruined by the rain?

10. Why did Shonagon say festivals held near the palace were distant but near?

(see the answer keys)

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