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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. How long had the family been gone from its home?

2. What stereotype do many Americans at the time make about Japanese people?

3. Chapter 5 is told from the perspective of _________________.

4. What month is it in Chapter 3?

5. The father sarcastically says that he gave ____________________ to the enemy for free.

Short Essay Questions

1. From whose perspective is Chapter 4 told and what is the tone of the characters?

2. Describe what the family did after the father's arrest when they did not know what had happened to him.

3. Describe the room where the father was first taken for questioning.

4. Why does the mother leave one of the father's suits hanging in the closet?

5. What do the boy and the mother talk about regarding what they miss most about their old lives?

6. Describe how the Army is ruthless in its treatment of the internees.

7. How does the author show that the characters are not considered to be real people, but rather just nameless prisoners?

8. What does the father "admit" to doing that made him a threat to the U.S.?

9. How long had the family been away from their home and what has being institutionalized done to their sense of fear at night?

10. Who does the father address in his confession in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of character. Identify at least two examples about character in the book. Then explain how each example supports the theme of character.

Essay Topic 3

What is the greatest lesson the boy learns from his father? Is it true that important lessons are also painful ones? What will the boy always recall about his father from their experiences during World War II?

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