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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 does Toru do in Chapter 29 when he tires of going to the well?

2. According to Kumiko in Chapter 22, what has her metamorphosis done to her?

3. How does Toru get into Room 208 in Chapter 35?

4. What part of her first client's body did Nutmeg touch to heal her?

5. How does Kumiko instruct Toru to think of her in Chapter 22?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does M consult a healer in Chapter 12?

2. That is Nutmeg's concern in Chapter 24?

3. What plan does Kumiko reveal in Chapter 17?

4. Describe Cinnamon.

5. Describe Mamiya's assassination attempt on Boris in Chapter 32.

6. What does Toru realize about his marriage to Kumiko in Chapter 34?

7. What circle of connections does Toru Okada uncover in Chapter 23?

8. What war atrocity occurs in Chapter 26's story?

9. What new offer does Ushikawa make to Toru Okada in Chapter 16?

10. What does the boy in Chapter 11 find in the bag and what does he do with it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is replete with images of imperiled children such as young Nutmeg, Kumiko, and her sister, Cinnamon. Write an essay about the world of the novel as a place when the innocent are not safe, focusing on three wounded adults who are trying to escape childhood traumas. What trauma is each trying to escape? How does this fear lead each to make an equally destructive choice in adulthood? In conclusion, what is Murakami saying about the relationship between childhood and adulthood?

Essay Topic 2

A major theme of Murakami's novel is personal reinvention, and this reinvention is often made most explicit in characters who choose to rename themselves and others. Write an essay about characters in the novel who choose to change names, focusing on three instances. What events transpire that precipitate this change? What is the nature of the change? Is the change permanent? Conclude each paragraph by stating the essential thematic purpose for this change in name.

Part 1) Toru Okada, when speaking with May Kasahara.

Part 2) Malta and Creta Kano.

Part 3) Toru Okada's cat.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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