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. What does Hideki's bride wear to the wedding ceremony?

2. Why does her Aunt Aya ask Yuki to change her clothes before the wake?

3. According to Yuki, what does Hideki think about clothes and makeup?

4. What does Shizuko do immediately after her phone call with Yuki in Chapter 1?

5. In Chapter 1, why is Yuki going to be late for dinner?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Yuki's stepmother, what does Yuki do to disturb her?

2. Why does her Aunt Aya compliment Yuki on the day of the wake?

3. Why does Takeo believe that he is developing a hearing problem?

4. Why is it important to Yuki to transport the flowers from the old house to the new house?

5. In the beginning of Chapter 12, what does Yuki intend to do with Shizuko's stored belongings in the attic?

6. At the beginning of Chapter 7, why is Masa disappointed in Yuki?

7. What happens at the end of Chapter 2 after Yuki changes her clothes for the wake?

8. Why does Yuki regret telling Sachiko and Mrs. Murai that her mother died in an accident? What does she wish she had said instead?

9. Is Yuki tomboyish or does she behave more feminine during her childhood and early teens?

10. Is the race in Chapter 5 a metaphor for Yuki's life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Yuki's friendship with Sachiko, a relationship that marks yet another loss in the protagonist's life.

Part 1) Why is Yuki drawn to Sachiko?

Part 2) Compare and contrast Yuki and Sachiko. What is the main conflict in their relationship?

Part 3) What does Yuki learn from Sachiko?

Part 4) How does the loss of Sachiko's friendship affect Yuki? Is Yuki a better person for knowing Sachiko? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Compare Shizuko's sense of loneliness and isolation to that of Yuki. What causes each to become isolated from others? Compare and contrast the way that these characters cope with the loneliness in their lives. Are these characters in some way responsible for the isolation they face? Why or why not? Is Yuki able to overcome loneliness in her life? If so, how does she accomplish this?

Essay Topic 3

Yuki dresses differently than her peers, and her clothing holds a special place in her heart.

• Explain Yuki's emotional attachment to her clothes. Why are they so important to her? What role do they play in preserving her mother's memory?

• Examine the scene in which Aya asks Yuki to change her clothing for the wake.

• Why is Yuki reluctant to do so? Analyze the symbolism of Yuki hiding in her closet, among her clothes, on the day of the wake.

• What is it about Yuki's clothing that disturbs her grandmother?

• When throws away the Yuki's childhood clothing, how does this act impact Yuki?

• What is Yuki's motivation for sketching the clothes her mother had made for her?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,223 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample