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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 item of his father's does the boy have with him?

2. The image on the back of a playing card the girl sees is _____________________.

3. What does the mother tell the boy they will do when the war is over?

4. What does the woman do with the cat since pets are not permitted at the internment camp?

5. At the internment camp in Utah, the boy thinks he sees _______________ everywhere.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the woman's visit to the hardware store.

2. How do the girl's recollection of the family trip to Yosemite and her father's travels provide some insight into the father's arrest?

3. What does the woman do to the old dog?

4. Describe how the woman goes about packing up the family's belongings.

5. What directions does the mother give the boy for his behavior in the camp?

6. What is the irony of the picture the boy hangs on his wall in the camp?

7. What is the timing of the relocation effort and why was the woman's husband arrested prior to this relocation?

8. Why does the girl lie about her father to to the man named Ted?

9. How are Japanese-Americans notified that they are to be relocated and what indicates that people are preparing?

10. How is the girl's naivete exhibited when she waves to people from the train?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the hardware store owner. What is his role in the story? What was the author trying to accomplish by creating the dialogue between the hardware store owner and the mother?

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of the boy. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What motivates him--if anything--at this point?

Essay Topic 3

Otsuka uses more than one instance of irony in the story. Cite at least two other examples you can identify in the story and note why they are examples of irony. What is the major irony in the story? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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