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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 Stephen decide to paint?

2. Why does Miko have to do the laundry?

3. How do Stephen and Sachi acknowledge each other outside the temple after Kenzo's funeral?

4. Why does Sachi say Tomoko contracted leprosy?

5. What does Stephen notice a lack of in Tarumi?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the state of Stephen's relationship with Keiko when she gives him the yoken.

2. How does Stephen feel about making friends with people once he is settled in the beach house?

3. How does the visit to Sachi impact the relationship between Stephen and Matsu?

4. How does Stephen react to the news in his mother's November,1937 letter?

5. How does the storm impact Stephen's relationship with Sachi and Matsu?

6. Why is the painting of the garden of importance to Stephen?

7. How did Tomoko's death bring Sachi and Matsu closer?

8. How is Setsbun celebrated?

9. Why does Kenzo call Sachi a monster?

10. Describe the events that lead to Stephen's trip to Tarumi.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Stephen sees Matsu as both a friend and a father figure at a time when he is losing respect for his own father. Compare and contrast Matsu and Stephen's father. How would the story be different if Stephen's father's affair had not been a part of the story? Does the fallibility of Stephen's father have any positive consequences for the family?

Essay Topic 2

The act of suicide is an ongoing theme in this story. Tomoko, Kenzo, and many lepers chose to take their own lives. Sachi did not, although her own father wanted her to in order to restore family honor. Compare and contrast the suicides of Tomoko and Kenzo and other people's responses to them. What were the benefits and drawbacks of their decisions? What were the benefits and drawbacks of Sachi's decision not to take her own life to both her self and the people closest to her?

Essay Topic 3

Celebrations play a role in the telling of this story.

1) Choose one celebration and explain why it made a difference to Stephen's growth, perceptions, or daily life.

2) Describe how a different celebration reminds you of a western celebration or one you have participated in. Explain how your or a character in the story found meaning in the celebration mentioned.

3) Write a narrative of a celebration from the point of view of a character who attended it.

(see the answer keys)

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