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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 remembrance from the dead Honda does Lieutenant Mamiya give Toru Okada at the end of Chapter 13?

2. Who is the prophesied caller beginning with "O" that calls Toru Okada in Chapter 1?

3. What similarity exists between the veterinarian in Chapter 9 and Toru Okada?

4. What town is Toru Okada in when Kumiko call to tell him she had an abortion?

5. Where is the zoo mentioned in Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is a local tabloid so concerned with the the Miyawaki house in Chapter 7?

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

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

4. Describe the marital tiff the Okada's have as related in Chapter 9?

5. What painful admission does May Kasahara make in Chapter 15?

6. Why are the Okadas estranged from the Watayas?

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

8. How does May Kasahara describe her situation in Chapter 5?

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

10. How does Kumiko explain her own disappearance in her letter of Chapter 11?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The central antagonist of the novel is Noboru Wataya, a generally unpleasant but popular politician. Write an essay exploring the character arc of Noboru Wataya. How does he go from malcontent intellectual to beloved politician in such a short period? What is his opinion of Toru Okaka, and Toru's opinion of him? Describe the initial secret that Toru knows about Noboru and how this secret gives rise to a much large incrimination of Noboru Wataya. In the end, does Noboru get what he deserves?

Essay Topic 2

Kumiko Okada is one of the more enigmatic and yet dynamic characters in Murakimi's novel. She is decisive in her actions throughout but unclear, often, in her motivations. Write an essay about Kumiko's development is a character, focusing on three topics below:

Part 1) What is Kumiko's childhood like, including her relationships with both her brother and parents? What tragedy does Kumiko have to endure early in her life? How does it affect her family? Lastly, what does this childhood mean in terms of her adult life? What secrets must she bear?

Part 2) Why does Kumiko say that she chooses to leave Toru Okada? Write an essay analyzing why a simple act of infidelity spurs her to end her marriage entirely. What does Kumiko discover about herself that she did not know when she married Toru?

Part 3) What happens to Kumiko at the end of the novel, and how is this final turn of events connected both to her childhood and her decision to marry Toru? Conclude the essay by tracking Kumiko's motivation up to this point.

Essay Topic 3

Regularly throughout the novel, characters discover something deeply spiritual about themselves, brought about by their close proximity to death. Write an essay about three of these instances and their meaning in the novel:

Part 1) Describe the harrowing experience Lieutenant Mamiya experiences in Mongolia. How is he affected by his day in the dry well before being rescued? What changed in his outlook of the world?

Part 2) At what point does Creta Kano, after years of constant and unremitting pain, achieve some type of relief? What does this transition have to do with a proximity to death? How is this change connected to her eventual, more ethereal profession?

Part 3) When does Toru Okada develop the blue-black mark on his face? What traumatic and somewhat dangerous occurrence does this follow? What new and spiritual powers does this mark seem to imbue Toru with?

(see the answer keys)

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