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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. Where does the narrator think it might not be bad to end his life?

2. What happens to the narrator when he is finished playing the music?

3. Who does the narrator tell his shadow the Wall is really there to hold in?

4. What does the Librarian compare the warmth of the narrator's hand to?

5. What does the Librarian ask the Caretaker in the Power Station chapter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain what the Professor says is a way out of the situation the narrator finds himself in in Chapter 27 and why it would work.

2. Why does the Librarian say the accordion is "the key" in Chapter 36?

3. Describe the taxi that picks up the narrator and the chubby girl after the exit from the underground in Chapter 31.

4. Explain what the Colonel tells the narrator about the digging of the hole in Chapter 30.

5. Explain the beasts' feeding habits as observed in Chapter 26.

6. Describe the Town's power source.

7. What doubts about leaving the Town does the narrator voice to his shadow in Chapter 32?

8. What does the narrator say he plans to do with the Librarian's mind once he has read it?

9. Explain the importance of belief as described in Chapter 34.

10. Explain what the narrator thinks about the stars as he is making his way through the underground escape route towards the end of Chapter 29.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how "shuffling" is done and the significance of this process for the novel's exploration of consciousness.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the fact that the narrator in Chapter 37 says that he's never chosen to do anything of his own free will. Plead for or against the truth of this statement by contrasting it with the choices the narrator makes about his own life leading up to the end of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the author's attention to the physical needs of the characters in each storyline and explain how Murakami's depictions add to the overall effect of the story.

(see the answer keys)

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