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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 did the priest tell Setsuko people should do when someone dies rather than mourning them?
(a) They should thank them for connecting them to the Buddha.
(b) They should think of the good times they had together.
(c) They should pretend they are still alive.
(d) They should try to forget them.

2. How did Kazu and Setsuko know each other prior to getting married?
(a) They worked at the port together.
(b) Their mothers were best friends.
(c) They had gone to elementary school together.
(d) They played sports together.

3. How often did Kazu visit his children when they were young?
(a) Every other week.
(b) Once a month.
(c) Once in summer and once in winter.
(d) Every holiday, birthday and special occasion.

4. Though the Soma gave Kazu's ancestor's land why were they unable to grow anything at first?
(a) There was a long drought when they first arrived.
(b) They did not know how to work the land.
(c) They did not give them the right to irrigate the land.
(d) They did not get enough sun.

5. What was Kazu's first job in Onahama?
(a) Taxi driver.
(b) Cleaning houses.
(c) Fixing boats.
(d) Fishing.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Setsuko wonder about regarding her son's death?

2. Where was Koichi found dead?

3. What is one thing Pure Land followers did that angered the natives in Soma?

4. What does the homeless man tell the homeless woman he will do if he wins 5,000 on the horse race?

5. What happened to much of Kazu and his family's things right around Koichi's birth?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where was Koichi when he died, and how did Kazu find out about his son's death?

2. Describe what happened when Kazu took his children to Haramachi during a festival for the Bon holidays?

3. Who is Kazu and what is he doing in Ueno Station at the start of the novel?

4. Who is Osamu and how did his presence at Koichi's funeral make Kazu feel?

5. What friend of Kazu's does he hear an old homeless man and woman discuss, and what does he learn about him?

6. What does Kazu's father say to the tax officials who came into their home and marked property to be repossessed?

7. What does Kazu begin to feel about his life after his son dies?

8. What did Kazu's ancestors believe happened to the dead?

9. When did Kazu move to Tokyo? Why? How often did he see his family?

10. Why does Kazu ultimately decide to move to Tokyo to work when his children are young?

(see the answer keys)

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