|Name: _________________________||Period: ___________________|
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What phrase is K particularly interested in when Sensei finds him living in the temple after their first summer from college?
2. What disease killed Sensei’s father?
3. Who was left in charge of Sensei after the death of his parents?
4. Sensei says in Part III, Sensei’s Testament, “In those days, such phrases as ‘the age of awakening’ or” what had not yet come into fashion?
5. Sensei writes in Part III, Sensei’s Testament, that he was brought up to be what?
Short Essay Questions
1. What does Sensei learn about K’s discovery of the engagement in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?
2. How are Sensei’s early days with his adoptive family described in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?
3. What happens with K’s family during their third summer holiday from school in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?
4. Describe the scene when Sensei discovers K’s suicide in Part III, Sensei’s Testament. What is Sensei’s emotional response?
5. What warning does Okusan give Sensei when he first broaches the topic of K coming to live at the house in Part III, Sensei’s Testament?
6. How does Sensei’s past, revealed in his final letter, explain his demeanor in the earlier parts of the novel?
7. Why does Soseki’s mother urge Soseki to write to Sensei in Part II, My Parents and I?
8. What are the conflicting objectives presented to Soseki by his mother in Part II, My Parents and I?
9. How does Soseki’s father’s health correspond to the newspapers in Part II, My Parents and I?
10. How does Soseki’s father greet him when he arrives home in Part II, My Parents and I? What is Soseki’s impression?
Essay Topic 1
Describe and discuss the character of Soseki as the protagonist and narrator of Kokoro. How old is Soseki when the story begins? What attributes does he have? Is the narrator ever addressed by name in the novel? Why or why not?
Essay Topic 2
Discuss the style and language of the novel. How does the language of Kokoro contribute to the tone of the narrative? What differences can be seen in the ways that Soseki and Sensei communicate verbally?
Essay Topic 3
a. Discuss the plot structure of Kokoro. In what ways is the narrative related and what effect does this have on the reader?
b. How does Kokoro compare with other novels written during this time period? Are there specific stylistic elements that can be seen in Soseki’s writing?
This section contains 918 words
(approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page)