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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 subject is the narrator fascinated with as a child?

2. What effect do death and blood have on the narrator during puberty?

3. As a boy, what does the narrator associate with the idea of love?

4. As a child, the narrator fantasizes that who wants to kill him?

5. What does the narrator liken to a stage play?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the grandmother affected when the narrator moves in with his father?

2. Describe the outfits the boys have to wear to school on "ceremony day"?

3. Describe the narrator's fantasy perception of Omi.

4. What is the reaction of his family when the narrator dresses up as the magician, Tenkatsu?

5. Why does the prince in the Hungarian fairy tale upset the narrator?

6. What physical actions does the narrator take in order to appear to be tough?

7. What attracts the narrator to soldiers as a youth?

8. What type of gender influence does the narrator have as a child?

9. When the other boys are impressed with the narrator's crass remarks about sex, how does the narrator feel?

10. While in school with Omi, what type of boy is the narrator attracted to?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When the narrator loses his sister, he experiences true devastation over the loss of a loved one. This surprises him, as believed himself incapable of feeling true emotion because of a lifetime of masks. Write an essay taking a stand on whether the narrator ever truly lost himself because of the masks that he wore.

1) Why does the narrator begin wearing masks?

2) How do these masks distance him from real life?

3) Does the narrator ever really lose himself? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Upon meeting Omi, the narrator is confronted with sexual feelings for the boy.

1) What intimate moment do Omi and the narrator share that begins their friendship?

2) What attracts the narrator to Omi?

3) How does this attraction affect the narrator?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator is immature in his relationship with women. When he meets Sonoko, she too is somewhat immature.

1) How does this immaturity help Sonoko and the narrator's relationship work?

2) What are some examples of immature interactions?

3) How does the immaturity affect their relationship?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 666 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample