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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 the Gion?

2. What does Joanna do after her set?

3. What does Alex call Joanna?

4. Who is Mariko Inamura?

5. How does Thomas Chelgrin make his fortune?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why would Alex know about Lisa Chelgrin?

2. What do you think the episode with Wayne shows about the people who kidnapped Lisa?

3. Who does Alex call in connection with Joanna and what does he learn? What does Joanna do?

4. What new character is introduced in Chapter 32 and what might the reader suspect about him and why?

5. What does Alex tell Joanna about love and how does she feel about his assertions? What might this conversation establish for the reader?

6. Who comes to the hospital and sits with Wayne and why do you think this person does that?

7. What does Alex realize about Joanna when he keeps thinking about her?

8. What does Mariko tell Alex about Joanna and men?

9. How does Joanna wake from her recurring nightmare? How often does she have it and why do you think she will not do anything about it?

10. Describe what happens in Joanna's session with Inamura.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Joanna encourages Mariko to explore a relationship with Wayne despite the Japanese mindset that is against these types of relationships.

1. After doing research on Japanese culture and women, discuss the ways in which Mariko adheres to gender expectations and ways in which she doesn't.

2. The Japanese culture is against any relationship which involves a Japanese person and a person of another ethnic race or culture. Why do you think a culture would evolve such a stricture? Do you think that informal expectation has changed with the shrinking of the world through the internet and easy travel between parts of the world?

3. Discuss why you believe Mariko should follow her heart and not her culture. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Alex wakes, bound on the floor of a kitchen. Alex manages to break his bindings only to discover that someone has already cut through the rope. When Alex enters the library, he is struck with a sense of familiarity. Alex searches the desk and finds his gun, realizing he had known it would be there. Alex then turns the gun on Chelgrin even though he has no reason to believe Chelgrin means him harm. Alex wants to put the gun down, but he cannot do it. Alex fires the weapon, hitting Chelgrin in the chest.

1. Discuss what the above passages might indicate about Alex's possible situation as to being manipulated. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. Do you think Alex is responsible for shooting Thomas Chelgrin? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

3. Hypnosis professionals say that no one can be made to do anything under hypnosis that is against his/her moral code. Discuss what you think Alex's behavior with shooting Chelgrin might mean in view of this.

Essay Topic 3

Alex is clearly smitten with Joanna, and when he asks her to have lunch with him, it makes it seem to the reader that a romance might be in the air, touching on one of the themes of the novel.

1. Discuss what evidence you have seen thus far of romance being one of the themes in this book. Use examples from the book to illustrate your answer.

2. Alex has watched Joanna on stage for a few nights and is "smitten" with her. Does this seem realistic? Why or why not?

3. Alex being smitten with Joanna would seem to be like someone falling for an actor or actress in a movie. Are they falling for a real person or the person that is being portrayed in the part? Discuss this concept with examples to support your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

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