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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How old was Kazu when he died?
(a) 13.
(b) 21.
(c) 9.
(d) 31.

2. Where was Koichi found dead?
(a) In his apartment.
(b) In a park.
(c) In a jail cell.
(d) At his mother's house.

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

4. What does the homeless woman tell the homeless man about Shige while Kazu watches them?
(a) He died.
(b) He got arrested.
(c) He got a job.
(d) He took off without a word.

5. What does Kazu feel may be the only thing he left on earth?
(a) Material objects.
(b) Pollution.
(c) A sense of tiredness.
(d) Despondence.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the priest tell Setsuko is "humanity's worst impulse" (72)?

2. How many younger siblings did Kazu have?

3. What year was Kazu born?

4. How old was Kazu when the war ended?

5. How old were Kazu's children when he left for Tokyo?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Kazu and what is he doing in Ueno Station at the start of the novel?

2. How does Kazu describe Shige?

3. What is the history of the Statue of Times Forgotten, which Shige told Kazu about?

4. What was Kazu's relationship with his children like while he was working in Tokyo?

5. Describe what happened when Kazu took his children to Haramachi during a festival for the Bon holidays?

6. Who is Osamu and how did his presence at Koichi's funeral make Kazu feel?

7. What did Kazu and his father, mother, and wife each do to support and feed the family around the time his first son was born?

8. What does Kazu begin to feel about his life after his son dies?

9. Describe Kazu's family. Who were his parents? Where did they live? How many siblings did he have?

10. Where was Koichi when he died, and how did Kazu find out about his son's death?

(see the answer keys)

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