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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 do Isak and Sunja eat together in Sunja’s first restaurant in Book One, Chapter 9?

2. How does Hansu come into Sunja's life again in Book Two, Chapter 6?

3. Why does Mozasu find school difficult in Book Two, Chapter 10?

4. Who is Mozasu's new friend in school in Book Two, Chapter 10?

5. Why does Sunja tell Isak that she can love his God in Book One, Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Sunja deal with Mozasu's fighting in Book Two, Chapter 11?

2. How do Hoonie's parents raise him in Book One, Chapter 1? Why do they not dote on him?

3. What does Yoseb think of the Japanese war in China in Book Two, Chapter 3? How does the way he thinks about it connect with the larger philosophy of Korean people?

4. In Book Two, Chapter 5, why does Isak tell Noa he must still go to school even though Isak is dying?

5. What is the propaganda in the newspapers Yoseb reads in Book Two, Chapter 1?

6. What are Yoseb and Hansu's plans for the Baek family in Book Two, Chapter 8? How are they different?

7. What does the ajumma tell Sunja about a women's life and the man she will marry in Chapter Three?

8. In Book One, Chapter 17, why is Yoseb so upset at Sunja for selling the watch?

9. How does Pastor Yoo resolve the siblings quarrel in Book One, Chapter 14 and why?

10. What is Kyunghee's dream she tells to Sunja in Book One, Chapter 15 and why can she not do it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout Pachinko, we see many side characters who are named and given a back story even if they are only mentioned once. Choose four of these characters and develop a thesis in response to the following questions: how does the addition of side characters contribute to the larger story of Pachinko? What effect is created by having these side characters fleshed out in the novel? Why is it important to have them in the novel in addition to the main characters?

Essay Topic 2

At the end of the novel, David Copperfield is brought up as Noa's favorite novel. Why does he like this particular book? Choose another example of intertexuality in the book (such as the Bible, the book of "Hosea, "Daniel Deronda," the epigraphs at the beginning of each book). How do these stories map out and connect to the story in the novel? Do some background research and pull excerpts from the intertextual sources to support its connection to Pachinko. How does having multiple examples of intertextuality expand different sections of the text?

Essay Topic 3

Four generations of women are shown throughout Pachinko. From Yangjin, to Sunja and Kyunghee, to Yumi, Etsuko, and Ayame, and finally to Hana and Phoebe. What are liberties and abilities within each generation? How does a woman's role, or the role she can have, change over time? Choose two characters to compare and contrast how they live their lives according to the times. What historical changes allow a woman's life to be different from one generation or one experience to another? How are the choices of each character dependent or independent from the men in her life?

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