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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 bothers the boy about where his father is now?

2. The boy recalls his father promising to ________________________.

3. The period of World War II was filled with fear and _________________ toward Japanese-Americans.

4. Soldiers return home from the war with stories of _______________________.

5. What month is it in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the social environment like for the Japanese-Americans when they return home?

3. Explain the financial situation of the family when they leave the camp.

4. What does the father want to imply to whoever is hearing his confession?

5. What are the physical and psychological states of the camp in the autumn of 1942?

6. What does the father say is what he most wanted to say to everyone during his confession?

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

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

9. What is the father's tone during his confession in this chapter?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Extreme prejudice takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

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.

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