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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 happens when Stephen walks Keiko home after her visit in March of 1938?

2. What does Keiko tell Stephen when they meet at the beach in September of 1938?

3. What promise does Keiko make to Stephen when he walks her halfway home in March?

4. What does Stephen's mother recommend in her May, 1938 letter to him?

5. Why did Sachi's father take her to shrines after her diagnosis with leprosy?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where is the Kerria plant found and what does it mean?

2. Explain how the war is impacting Stephen.

3. Why aren't there any journal entries for a month after Kenzo's funeral?

4. Who is Sumiko?

5. What is the significance of the conversation Stephen and Keiko have on the beach?

6. How does Sachi incorporate flowers in her garden?

7. How does Sachi change after Michiko's death?

8. What does Stephen discover Matsu doing with his father's fishing knife and why is it important?

9. What information does Stephen get from Penelope's letter?

10. How does Keiko feel about her father's behavior?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Stephen's budding relationship with Keiko is both exciting and frustrating for him. As their relationship progresses, and Stephen matures, his reaction to Keiko's responses also change. Document the progression of this relationship and explain how Stephen's personal growth and maturity is reflected in his actions and feelings.

Essay Topic 2

Stephen sees Matsu as both a friend and a father figure at a time when he is losing respect for his own father. Compare and contrast Matsu and Stephen's father. How would the story be different if Stephen's father's affair had not been a part of the story? Does the fallibility of Stephen's father have any positive consequences for the family?

Essay Topic 3

Starting with Stephen's reclusive quarantine in Hong Kong, the theme of loneliness is used through the Samurai's Garden.

1) Choose an event or incident from the story that is spurred by loneliness and explain how that loneliness triggers other specific events.

2) Choose a character in the story who seems lonely despite being near other people. Describe the actions this leads to.

3) Choose two characters in the story who seek each other out. Explain the result of this action and how it affects each one's loneliness.

(see the answer keys)

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