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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 many men does the narrator first see when he looks out the window to where the men are digging the hole?

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

3. Why does the narrator rent the car?

4. Where is the shadow when the narrator comes to visit him at the beginning of Chapter 32?

5. Which author does the narrator NOT say he likes to read at dinner?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the significance of the narrator's realization of what the accordion is and how to use it?

3. What is "the encyclopedia wand"?

4. How does the narrator react to the musical instruments in Chapter 28?

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

6. What does the chubby girl plan to do once the narrator loses consciousness, and why?

7. What does the narrator say in Chapter 37 about "...tuning in on the particulars of the world" and why is that important?

8. Which situation does the narrator define as "despair" in Chapter 33?

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

10. Explain the parallels between the video game the narrator plays at the beginning of Chapter 35 and his life.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain some of the main characteristics of existentialist literature and describe how Murakami's novel is similar.

Essay Topic 2

Give a detailed description of the Hard-Boiled Wonderland narrator's personality and explain how he changes throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Describe what the narrator refers to in Chapter 35 as "despair", "disillusionment" and "hell" and explain why he says he's unable to create a better life for himself.

(see the answer keys)

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