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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 does Komako have to drink after barging into Shimamura's room for the second time?

2. What is Komako's room like?

3. In Shimamura's room at night, what does Komako say she will do until she has recovered from her ailment?

4. What does Shimamura actually look at during his trip to the resort town?

5. Before she stumbles into Shimamura's room, who has Komako spent the evening with?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Shimamura observe on the train on his way to the resort town?

2. Where does Shimamura go the day after his night with Komako, and why might he have left?

3. Why doesn't the young geisha sent to Shimamura interest him?

4. When Shimamura arrives for his second visit to the resort town, how many days does Komako say it has it been since she and Shimamura spent their night together, and how can she be sure of this?

5. Why does Komako bite her own arm?

6. Describe Komako's situation at the time of her first meeting with Shimamura.

7. What distracts Shimamura after leaving his inn and the young geisha, and what does he do?

8. What excuse does Shimamura use to leave his room with the geisha?

9. What does Komako find upsetting in her diary?

10. What do his mountain trips mean to Shimamura?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the meaning of the seasons and the changing of the seasons in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how the narrative is affected by the point of view used in the novel. What is kept hidden from the reader because of this point of view?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss art and culture as it relates to the novel. What traditional Japanese art and customs are mentioned in the novel? What significance do these examples have on the novel and characters?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 668 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample