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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 is Toda's plan for the Erasmus?

2. Why is Blackthorne suddenly being treated well?

3. What does Domingo say about the prisoners in the place where he and Blackthorne are?

4. How did the book Blackthorne looks for happen to be on the Erasmus?

5. Who arrives and almost puts an end to the ruse Toranaga uses for his getaway?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the political function of Yodoko in the novel?

2. How is the Portuguese pilot, Rodrigues, introduced into the story?

3. After escaping the harbor, when Blackthorne awakes from his exhausted sleep, what does he find Toranaga doing?

4. How does John Blackthorne arrive in Japan?

5. How is tension presented in Toranaga's character after meeting Ishido?

6. Why does Blackthorne not take Rodrigues up on the offer to copy his rutters?

7. What prompts Blackthorne to attack Father Sabastio and desecrate his wooden cross?

8. Describe the change in Toranaga's orders related to Blackthorne after he is removed from prison.

9. When the samurai who fails to carry through on his actions is ordered to be executed, who is given the job?

10. What is the first indication of the brutality of the samurai in the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, The Irony of Omi and Yabu. Begin with Omi's wanting to kill his uncle at the very beginning of the novel. Detail how Omi carries out Yabu's orders even though he despises him. Next point should be that it is Omi who brings the samurai to Toranaga whose testimony brings Yabu down. Conclude with the irony of Yabu naming Omi as his heir and selecting him to be his second at his seppuku.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, Earthquakes and Japanese Houses in Shōgun. Describe the destruction of Blackthorne's house in the earthquake as well as the houses of other people in the area. Mention the wooden construction with paper walls and why this type of construction makes sense in a place constantly threatened by earthquakes. Discuss the advantage wood construction has over mortar construction in an earthquake.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay of at least two typewritten, double spaced pages on the topic, What I think Happens to Blackthorne. Begin with Blackthorne's being given Kiku as a wife and everything he needs to build ships without knowing that Toranaga plans to destroy them all. Speculate on what you think ultimately becomes of Blackthorne. Give three possible scenarios: (1) he manages to get away by himself on a ship before Toranaga can destroy it; (2) he manages to get away with Kiku on a trading ship that comes to Osaka; or (3) he settles in comfortably with Kiku and remains in Japan for the rest of his life.

(see the answer keys)

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