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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. During what season did Fusako leave her husband?

2. How long after Eiko quits work does she bring the woman who shares a house with Shuichi's mistress to see Shingo?

3. How long does it take a train to pass through Tanna Tunnel?

4. What is the name of a maid Shingo attempts to remember?

5. What time is Shingo awakened by the noise Shuichi makes when he comes home drunk in Chapter 8?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Shingo attempt to make his wife stop snoring?

2. What wakes Shingo at the beginning of Chapter 8?

3. Why doesn't Shuichi think Kikuko is worried about the weather in Chapter 3?

4. What had the newspapers predicted about the 210th day of the year?

5. Why would it be difficult for Fusako and Aihara to flee if the typhoon should get really bad?

6. How did Shingo come to hire Eiko?

7. What type of a person was Toriyama?

8. What music is Kikuko playing at the beginning of Chapter 3?

9. What does Yasuko tell her daughter when Fusako says that Shingo is nice to Kikuko?

10. In "Chestnuts," what birds does Shingo see?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel, occasionally the back-story behind events that are occurring in the story are revealed. Discuss the back-story and how the author accomplishes revealing the back-story.

Essay Topic 2

Fusako seems to be jealous of Kikuko. Discuss the relationship between Fusako and Kikuko.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the phrase "calmly swam through while everyone else was going under" applied to Shingo and his friends.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 510 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample