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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. What happened to Hokkaido after the Tokyo Olympics?
(a) A tsunami hit.
(b) It became a haven for homeless people.
(c) It became urbanized.
(d) Nobody went there anymore.

2. How many younger siblings did Kazu have?
(a) 0.
(b) 7.
(c) 12.
(d) 2.

3. What is Kazu's wife's name?
(a) Setsuko.
(b) Mari.
(c) Yoko.
(d) Koichi.

4. Though the Soma gave Kazu's ancestor's land why were they unable to grow anything at first?
(a) They did not know how to work the land.
(b) There was a long drought when they first arrived.
(c) They did not give them the right to irrigate the land.
(d) They did not get enough sun.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did the midwife say the birth of their son Koichi was a blessing?

2. What is one thing Pure Land followers did that angered the natives in Soma?

3. What does the homeless man tell the homeless woman he will do if he wins 5,000 on the horse race?

4. What was Koichi's body covered with after the funeral service?

5. What is one of the things Setsuko found most painful about her son's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Why does Kazu ultimately decide to move to Tokyo to work when his children are young?

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

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

5. How does Kazu describe Shige?

6. When did Kazu move to Tokyo? Why? How often did he see his family?

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

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

9. What friend of Kazu's does he hear an old homeless man and woman discuss, and what does he learn about him?

10. What did Kazu's ancestors believe happened to the dead?

(see the answer keys)

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