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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did Kazu's father speak to the mourners at the funeral?
(a) Because the eldest male always speaks at a funeral.
(b) Because Kazu's father was a priest.
(c) Because Kazu was unable to.
(d) Because Setsuko had asked him to speak.

2. How old were Kazu's children when he left for Tokyo?
(a) 14 and 18.
(b) 21 and 24.
(c) 3 and 5.
(d) 10 and 12.

3. What would Kazu do to help his family during his time off from harvesting kelp?
(a) He would sell newspapers.
(b) He would take his kids on a trip to give his wife a break.
(c) He would fix things around the house.
(d) He would harvest rice.

4. How was Kazu's behavior at Koichi's funeral different from his mother and daughters?
(a) He refused to speak to any family members.
(b) He did not cry.
(c) He was loud and gregarious.
(d) He cried uncontrollably.

5. What was Kazu's first job when he moved to Tokyo?
(a) Cleaning offices.
(b) Maintaining the garden at Ueno Park.
(c) Driving the imperial family around Tokyo.
(d) Constructing athletic facilities for the Tokyo Olympics.

6. How old were Kazu's parents when they died?
(a) In their 60s.
(b) In their 90s.
(c) In their 80s.
(d) In their 70s.

7. Who lent Kazu his mourning clothes, which Setsuko gave him on the day of Koichi's funeral?
(a) The head of the neighborhood association.
(b) Kazu's son-in-law.
(c) Kazu's boss.
(d) Kazu's father.

8. What did the priest tell Setsuko is "humanity's worst impulse" (72)?
(a) To dwell too much on the past.
(b) To try to imagine a loved one's final moments.
(c) To try to forget the dead.
(d) Not allow themselves time to mourn.

9. According to Kazu's father, how long had there ancestors been in Soma?
(a) 100 years.
(b) 50 years.
(c) 200 years.
(d) 500 years.

10. What does the homeless man tell the homeless woman he will do if he wins 5,000 on the horse race?
(a) Buy a new jacket.
(b) Split the money with her.
(c) Get a hotel for the night.
(d) Get a cat.

11. What brought many of the homeless to Tokyo in the first place?
(a) They came to see the Olympics and never left.
(b) They came in search of work.
(c) They came because they heard people took care of the homeless.
(d) They came after their villages were destroyed by tsunamis.

12. How did Kazu and Setsuko know each other prior to getting married?
(a) They worked at the port together.
(b) They had gone to elementary school together.
(c) They played sports together.
(d) Their mothers were best friends.

13. What was Kazu distraught when his wife needed a midwife while she was in labor with their son?
(a) He hated to see her in so much pain.
(b) He did not believe in midwives.
(c) There were no midwives in the area.
(d) They could not afford one.

14. After working in Onamaha for two years, What did Kazu do with his father on Kitamigita Beach?
(a) Harvested clams.
(b) Sold watches.
(c) Sold newspapers.
(d) Race track maintenance.

15. Why was Kazu unable to take his children on a helicopter ride in Haramachi during the Bon holidays when they were young?
(a) The children were too young.
(b) Tickets were too expensive.
(c) They arrived too late.
(d) His wife would not allow it.

Short Answer Questions

1. How much money does Kazu send him to his family when he first moves to Tokyo?

2. What were Kazu's ancestors known as?

3. What is familiar about the jean jacket Kazu sees an old homeless man wearing while talking to a homeless woman about the lack of work?

4. What is the name of the park Kazu haunts and used to live in when he was alive?

5. What happened to Hokkaido after the Tokyo Olympics?

(see the answer keys)

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