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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. The father implies that no rational person would believe him to be anything other than an American man _______________________.

2. Which of the following does NOT describe the state of the family's house when they see it again?

3. What personal element from his father did the boy save?

4. How long had the family been gone from its home?

5. Where had the boy left his bicycle before leaving home?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does the father identify himself as being when delivering his confession?

2. For whom does the father speak during his confession?

3. Why is the girl digging in the ground with a spoon in the middle of the night?

4. What valuable advice does the boy receive from his father in a letter?

5. What does the father "admit" to doing that made him a threat to the U.S.?

6. What are the physical and psychological states of the camp in the autumn of 1942?

7. Why does the mother leave one of the father's suits hanging in the closet?

8. From whose perspective is Chapter 5 told and what is the nature of the chapter?

9. What do the boy and the mother talk about regarding what they miss most about their old lives?

10. How does the father conclude his confession?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses more than one iteration on the motif of life-death-life. Identify at least two motifs about life-death-life in the book. Then cite an example to support each answer.

Essay Topic 2

What is the greatest lesson the boy learns from his father? Is it true that important lessons are also painful ones? What will the boy always recall about his father from their experiences during World War II?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the main settings for the novel. Why does Otsuka use the settings she does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

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