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. Where do Kumiko and Toru Okada meet for their first date?

2. Who calls Toru Okada in Chapter 11 immediately before the arrive of Lieutenant Mamiya?

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

4. In the beginning of Book 3, why does Toru suspect he has not heard from Kumiko?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What story about a house in Koru Okada's neighborhood does his uncle tell in Chapter 10?

2. What does the unnamed boy see in Chapter 3?

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

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

5. What is the Clumsy Massacre of Chapter 9?

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

7. Why does Creta Kano become a prostitute?

8. Describe Kumiko and Toru Okada's first date.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The world of Murakami's novel is one in which the spiritually powerful are revered. No one questions the validity of their abilities. In an essay, write about three spiritual seers/healers. What is their place in the plot, and how do they become necessary to other people's lives? With whom in the novel does each interact, and what service do they perform? Is each character viewed by the reader as benevolent or dangerous?

Part 1) Mr. Honda.

Part 2) Malta Kano.

Part 3) Nutmeg.

Essay Topic 2

In The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the protagonist Toru Okada is said to be inextricably linked to the antagonist Noboru Wataya. When one character succeeds, the other fails and vice versa. Write an essay about this connection and how it manifests itself in the plot of the novel. What Is happening in Noboru Wataya's life as Toru Okada is facing the travails of losing his wife? What secrets is Noboru trying to hide, and how does Toru get the upper hand with these secrets? What is the standing of each man at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,077 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample