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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 happens when Stephen walks Keiko home after her visit in March of 1938?

2. Who cared for Sachi when she first arrived in Yamaguchi?

3. What is the Kerria plant a sign of when it blooms late in the year?

4. What does Stephen say about returning to Hong Kong in his July, 1938 letters to his sister and mother?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Stephen get from Penelope's letter?

2. What activities surround Fumiko's arrival?

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

4. How does Matsu feel about his sister's decision to deal with her disease?

5. Explain how the war is impacting Stephen.

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

7. Describe Matsu's behavior at Sachi's house.

8. What do Stephen's lack of journal entries due to rebuilding in Yamaguchi indicate?

9. Who is Sumiko?

10. What is the significance of the conversation Stephen and Keiko have on the beach?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While Stephen is the main character in the story, there are also many supporting and minor characters that add to his tale. Choose one other main character, one supporting character, and one minor character. For each one, compare and contrast him or her with Stephen and give examples of how that person affected his life in positive or negative way.

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

Sachi's kare sansui is, by definition, a dry garden. Although she has chosen to include the blue-purple flower, the garden is mainly made up of rocks that represent the ripples of water. Stephen calls it an illusion. It could also be called a dead garden.

1) Why do you think Sachi chose this type of a garden rather than one filled with life?

2) What does the later inclusions of the blue-purple flower represent?

3) Why does Sachi rearrange the stones frequently?

(see the answer keys)

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