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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 would Kazu do to help his family during his time off from harvesting kelp?

2. Where was Koichi found dead?

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 is Kazu's wife's name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Kazu's mother tell him about his life after his son Koichi died?

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

3. 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?

4. What does Setsuko wonder about her son's death and how does the priest respond?

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

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

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

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

9. Describe the conversation between the homeless man and woman after the woman repeats her disbelief that Shige is dead.

10. How does Kazu describe Shige?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the author of Tokyo Ueno Station. Who is he? What else has he written? How is Tokyo Ueno Station similar or different from her other works?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing narrative voice in Tokyo Ueno Station. Include thoughts on how the narrative voice of the story is effective in conveying the story’s themes.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay discussing the settings in Tokyo Ueno Station. When does the setting change? In what ways does the setting impact your understanding of the story as well as the themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 739 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample