View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is with Shingo in the dream where he is a young army officer.

2. What lines the ditch outside the train as Shingo and the other passengers wait for the accident up ahead to be cleared?

3. In Chapter 15, Section 4, what color flowers does Shingo see outside the train window?

4. Where has Kinu moved?

5. How old are the tulip trees in the garden where Shingo meets Kikuko?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Kikuko read about Aihara in the newspaper?

2. How did Kikuko get money for an abortion?

3. How did Teru act last winter when Kikuko saw a snake at the kitchen door?

4. Why does Satoko rip off cherry branches?

5. How does Shingo describe a young girl who wants a seat saved on a train?

6. What does Fusako take from Kikuko in Chapter 12?

7. How does Shingo describe a foreigner who is on the train when it is stopped in Chapter 15?

8. Who does Shingo follow when he gets to the garden where he is to meet Kikuko?

9. Why did the president of a boat and yacht company decide to disappear with his wife?

10. How did Americans get some ancient lotus seeds to sprout?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shingo's friend sells him some No masks. Discuss No masks and what they mean to Shingo, Yasuko, and Kikuko.

Essay Topic 2

Both Yasuko and Shingo have dreams. Discuss and compare the dreams that they have.

Essay Topic 3

Shingo is told the story of an old friend who pulled out his hair and who then was put into a mental hospital. Shingo believed that there was an element of parody in the story. Discuss parody and the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 566 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample