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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. When Christopher comes to London from Cambridge he takes a flat in what neighborhood?

2. What musical instrument does Uncle Philip encourage Christopher to go with him to see?

3. In what year does Christopher hear of Jennifer?

4. What is Uncle Philip's relationship to the Banks?

5. What is the tone of Cecil Medhurst's speech at the Meredith Foundation dinner?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kinds of presents does Uncle Philip give Christopher when the boy comes to visit his office?

2. Describe an instance of Mr. Banks boasting.

3. Describe Christopher's residence in 1937.

4. Describe Ling Tien.

5. What does Akira say when Christopher asks if his parents sometime stop talking to each other?

6. Describe two examples of what Christopher refers to as "someone disapproving him and only just managing to conceal it."

7. What is significant about the disappearance of Jennifer's trunk?

8. How does the Emery case wrap up?

9. What is the "dining room episode?"

10. How does Christopher tend to remember his boyhood companion Akira?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The motif of the outsider is featured in WHEN WE WERE ORPHANS. Choose three scenes from the novel where Ishiguro uses this motif to advance the plot and develop characters. How is this done?

Essay Topic 2

In chapter sixteen, Sarah urges Christopher to run away with her to Macao. What does Macao represent? Why is Macao particularly enticing to Christopher when Sarah asks him? On an emotional level, what prevents Christopher from making it there?

Essay Topic 3

What is Sarah Hemmings' role in the novel? What does she represent for Christopher? At the end of the novel, Christopher wonders how her life has turned out. What do you think based on what we know about her?

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