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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. Why can Cinnamon not speak?

2. How does the lieutenant execute the last of the prisoners in Chapter 26?

3. How does May Kasahara respond to the duck people in Chapter 36?

4. How does Ushikawa describe the work he does from Noboru Wataya?

5. Who pointedly ceases coming to the Residence in Chapter 29?

Short Essay Questions

1. What sad reality does May Kasahara admit to in Chapter 18's letter?

2. In Chapter 22, what does Kumiko say about her current state of mind?

3. How does Toru overcome Noboru Wataya in Chapter 35?

4. How does May Kasahar's worldview change in Chapter 36?

5. What plans do most women in May Kasahara's factory have?

6. How does May Kasahara express her attitude to her wigs in Chapter 15?

7. What new offer does Ushikawa make to Toru Okada in Chapter 16?

8. What problem does Ushikawa admit with Kumiko's meeting Toru, and how does he solve it in Chapter 19?

9. What happens to Noboru Wataya in Chapter 37?

10. What circle of connections does Toru Okada uncover in Chapter 23?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lieutenant Mamiya has perhaps the most extended personal narrative of the novel after Toru Okada. By the end of the novel, we know exactly what happened to Mamiya, in detail during the war. Write an essay, beginning with an overview of the travails this man faced in China, Mongolia, and Eastern Russia. ow did he survive, and what malicious figure continued to cross paths with him? What experience did Mamiya have in the war that was similar to Toru's? In conclusion, how is Mamiya's life a warning to Toru?

Essay Topic 2

In The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami juxtaposes the fantastical with a sort of general malaise that permeates modern Japanese society. Write an essay about this general malaise, describing how it manifests itself in the business world, in politics, and in popular culture. How do both Toru Okada and May Kasahara choose to ignore this malaise? Do they drop out of society? Conclude by discussing how this portrait of Japan reflect the Lost Decade in which the novel is set.

Essay Topic 3

In The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the protagonist Toru Okada is said to be inextricably linked to the antagonist Noboru Wataya. When one character succeeds, the other fails and vice versa. Write an essay about this connection and how it manifests itself in the plot of the novel. What Is happening in Noboru Wataya's life as Toru Okada is facing the travails of losing his wife? What secrets is Noboru trying to hide, and how does Toru get the upper hand with these secrets? What is the standing of each man at the end of the novel?

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