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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. Who pulls the rope ladder up from the well in Chapter 9?

2. What does May Kasahara do before leaving the well at the end of Chapter 9?

3. What is Toru Okada's duty working with May Kasahara in Chapter 9?

4. After how many days of people-watching does Toru Okada see the man with the guitar case?

5. What changes about the style of writing in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Nutmeg.

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

3. Describe Toru Okada's dream in Chapter 2.

4. Why does Toru Okada choose to go into the well behind the old Miyawaki house?

5. What financial decision does Toru Okada make at the beginning of Book 3?

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

7. Describe Toru Okada's life at the beginning of the novel.

8. Why does Creta Kano become a prostitute?

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

10. What information does Malt Kano provide Toru Okada in their first meeting in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a vast menagerie of different storylines and themes. One theme that lingers beneath the surface of the central narrative is the legacy of the Second World War and its psychically wounding effect. Write an essay about the war's place in the novel, in two parts below:

Part 1) Write a paragraph about the veterinarian and his days in the Chinese zoo as the allies approach. How do the few events mentioned in the book about this man indicate an absurd force driving the war? What does Murakami mean to get across about the war by the fact that these stories are told by two characters that never fought in World War Two?

Part 2) Write a paragraph about the war stories of Lieutenant Mamiya. To what extent does Mamiya's narrative illustrate the brutal realities of war? How have these experiences affected Mamiya is the War's end? How are they a counterpoint to the stories of the veterinarian?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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