View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was Mrs. Saeki trying to save when she opened the entrance stone?

2. Which of the following is NOT something Hoshino does to pass the time while Nakata sleeps?

3. Which of the following items is NOT a theme in the song "Kafka on the Shore"?

4. How does Nakata feel after the entrance stone is flipped?

5. How old is Mrs. Saeki's spirit that keeps Kafka company in the deserted village?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens with Mrs. Saeki sleepwalks into Kafka's bedroom?

2. What happens to Nakata when Mrs. Saeki rests her hands against his chest?

3. While wandering through the woods, what disturbing dream does Kafka have about Sakura?

4. What does Kafka decide to do with his life after emerging from Limbo?

5. How does evil try to escape Limbo?

6. How does Mrs. Saeki convince Kafka to leave the world of the deserted village and go back where he belongs?

7. What conversation does Hoshino get into with the elderly coffee shop owner the day that the entrance stone is flipped?

8. What does Mrs. Saeki ask Nakata to do with her memoirs?

9. How do Nakata and Hoshino know that the entrance stone is working?

10. How does Colonel Sanders explain his physical form to Hoshino?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the text, Oshima is a wealth of literary knowledge. Choose at least two literary works that Oshima discusses, and explain what he teaches Kafka about each work. Then, explain what Oshima means when he says that "there is such a thing as metaphor in the corporeal world." How does this statement apply to the novel as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

Nakata, like Kafka, is a man haunted by his past. First, describe the event that altered Nakata's life forever. Then, explain how this disastrous event affected Nakata's life into adulthood. What ailments continued to plague Nakata long after the event occurred?

Essay Topic 3

Both Kafka and Nakata are inexplicably drawn to Southern Japan in search of healing. First, describe the circumstances that draws each man away from his home. Then, compare / contrast the relief each man finds upon finally reaching his destination.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 851 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample