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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the couple agree should be the name of their child, if they have a boy?
(a) Joncour.
(b) Phillippe.
(c) Gerard.
(d) Jean.

2. When does Joncour arrive back in Lavillidieu from Japan?
(a) Before the new moon.
(b) The first Sunday in April.
(c) The first Sunday in May.
(d) The first Saturday in June.

3. What happens to Joncour's neighbor, initially?
(a) He gardens all the time.
(b) He is violent with his wife.
(c) He goes blind.
(d) He decides to stop speaking.

4. Where does Joncour live?
(a) Over a coffee shop.
(b) In a house outside of Lavilledieu.
(c) In a villa at the beach.
(d) In England.

5. What does Hara Kei take Joncour to the top of the hill to see?
(a) The house.
(b) The bluebirds.
(c) The view.
(d) The harbor.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Baldabiou ask Joncour about when he returned from Egypt?

2. What did Baldabiou show the mayor when he first arrived in town?

3. How much money does Joncour have for his trip to Japan?

4. What spreads to Africa and India in the 1860s?

5. Where does Joncour take his wife on their first summer trip in the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Helene do with the silk scarf her husband brings home to her? Why does she react that way? What do you think Helene senses about her husband?

2. What animal does Baldabiou ask about upon Joncour's return from his first trip abroad? What does he do later to pay tribute to these animals? What are these animals a symbol for?

3. Is Joncour really disinterested in what is happening in Japan as the novel progresses? Is he following the news? Does he care if he ever gets back? What is holding his interest in his leisure time?

4. When Joncour turns 33-years-old, how does the author describe his life? How is peace compared to rain? Why do you think the author used this description?

5. How is Helene described? What is her most important attribute?

6. What happens every time Hara Kei appears? Who leaves? Is this by design? Why do you think that?

7. What happened when Jean Berbeck decided not to speak anymore? Why is this significant information in getting to know the character of Joncour?

8. How does the author describe the character of the Mayor? How is the telling of his story told in a circular fashion?

9. What is the symbolism of the exotic birds kept caged at the house of Hara Kei? What does this tell Joncour? What else does Joncour see at Hara Kei's house?

10. Do you think Joncour's feminine attributes played into his father's decision that Joncour should pursue a life in the military? What does this say about the character of Joncour's father? What does this say about Joncour?

(see the answer keys)

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