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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 brought many of the homeless to Tokyo in the first place?

2. How was Kazu's behavior at Koichi's funeral different from his mother and daughters?

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

4. Why does Kazu think of his family when he passes the Statue of Times Forgotten?

5. Who left a message for Kazu to tell him his son died while he was working in Hokkaido?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How did Kazu's family financial status impact them while his wife was in labor with their first child?

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

6. What happened in the Tohuko region and Hokkaido after the Tokyo Olympics ended, and what type for work did Kazu do in Sendai?

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

8. 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?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay examining the symbolic significance of the various monuments and shrines in Tokyo Ueno Station. In what scenes do monuments appear? What is the context? What do they symbolize and how do they develop the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing the symbolic significance of Kazu's family's economic status has on the story. Why is this important and how does it develop the themes of the story? What would be different if his family were wealthy? Use examples from the text to support your viewpoint.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 840 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample