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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 are the Plum Rains?

2. To what is Tomoko referring when she tells Matsu that she doesn't want "to live like this"?

3. What event in 1923 destroyed all the houses and left many dead?

4. What does Stephen say about the celebration of the rebuilt houses in Yamaguchi?

5. Who does Sachi say was Matsu's opposite?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Hiro.

2. How does Sachi incorporate flowers in her garden?

3. What activities surround Fumiko's arrival?

4. Where is the Kerria plant found and what does it mean?

5. How does Keiko let Stephen know she is interested in him despite her father?

6. What is the tone of Keiko's meeting with Stephen at the shrine?

7. How does Stephen feel when Matsu walks in and interrupts Sachi's story?

8. Why does Penelope work for the Red Cross?

9. Why aren't there any journal entries for a month after Kenzo's funeral?

10. What does Stephen describe as his memories of Keiko?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Point of view is an important element of style as this story as told through Stephen's journal. Choose three events in the story that would be dramatically altered if the story was told from a different point of view. Give specific examples that support your assertions. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story through the point of view that she did?

Essay Topic 3

Stephen is often forced to make choices about confronting situations or staying silent and keeping the peace. For each of the following occurrences, explain why Stephen made the choice he did, what values impacted his chosen course of action, and how it affected both him and others in the long run.

1) His father's affair.

2) Keiko's father.

3) Kenzo's attack on Sachi.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 770 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample