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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. For what type of business does May Kasahara administer surveys?

2. How long does the American submarine in Chapter 9 give the Japanese transport before it fires in it?

3. What object does Toru Okada discover in the well in Chapter 8?

4. Where does Toru's Chapter 8 dream take place?

5. What era does Creta Kano's style of dress remind Toru Okada of?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Noboru Wataya want to say to Toru Okada in Chapter 3?

2. How does the infant Nutmeg nearly killed in the story of Chapter 9?

3. How does pain return to Creta Kano's life?

4. Describe the interchange Toru has with the woman on the bench in Chapter 2?

5. What happens when Toru goes to the appointed address in Chapter 4?

6. Why do Koru and Kumiko Okada meet with Mr. Honda?

7. Describe Toru Okada's dream at the end of Chapter 16?

8. Why does Toru Okada stay in the well longer than he intended?

9. Describe Nutmeg.

10. In the story of Chapter 13, why does the Russian commander choose not to kill Lieutenant Mamiya?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Communication is a tricky and prevalent theme in the novel. Toru Okada is bombarded with new acquaintances in nearly every chapter of the novel, and they come top him in many different ways. Write an essay, outlining the different ways in which people make contact with the protagonist of the novel. How are the telephone, mail, dreams, and an early internet chat program all utilized? How does this menagerie of different forms of communication lead to ambiguity regarding how is communicating with whom?

Essay Topic 2

Much of the important action of the novel, including the climax, occurs not in the real world, but in dreams and in a sort of metaphysical hotel. Write an essay about these events that occur in a sub- or supernatural world, focusing on three of them:

Part 1) When Creta Kano appears to Toru Okada, and the two have sex, how is this more than a mere erotic dream? Why does it affect both of them in their waking lives? In analyzing this sexual encounter, explain what Creta Kano's profession is, and how it relates. Why does she come to Toru's dream?

Part 2) Write a paragraph describing Toru Okada's first trip to the metaphysical hotel. What is he doing in the real, waking world that allows him entry? When Toru emerges, what has changed about him? Is this change emotional or physical?

Part 3) Describe the climax of the novel as it takes place in the hotel. What very real dangers does Toru Okada face and what achievement does he have in his conflict with Noboru Wataya? What does he understand by the end? How are his actions in the hotel reflected in his waking life?

Essay Topic 3

Dreams play a key role in the advancing of plot in Murakami's novel. Write an essay, discussing the role that dreams play in Toru Okada's journey. Who does he meet while in a dream state? What new information does he gain from these dreams? Write a paragraph about each type of dream the Toru has over the course of the novel. As a conclusion, discuss whether the dream-world of the novel has any concrete bearing on the waking world.

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