Mr. Fornnarino's English 2, Practice Quiz 20 for ELL Students

For Questions 11-16, please read the following passage from Chapter 4 of Haruki Murakami’s After Dark. Choose the best responses to the prompts next to each passage. There is one and only one correct answer to each prompt.

Chapter 4, pages 63-64

“The camera angle is now fixed. It views the Man with No Face straight on, from just below center. In his brown suit, he stays perfectly motionless, looking from his side of the picture tube, through the glass, into this side. He is on the other side, looking straight into this room where we are. Of course his eyes are hidden behind the mysterious glossy mask, but we can vividly feel the existence—the weight—of his line of vision. With unwavering determination, he stares at something ahead of him. Judging from the angle of his face, he could well be staring towards Eri Asai's bed. We trace this hypothetical line of vision with great care. Yes, there can be no doubt about it. What the man in the mask is staring at with his invisible eyes is the sleeping form of Eri. It finally dawns on us: this is what he has been doing all along. He is able to see through to this side. The television screen is functioning as a window on this room.”

Note: The passage says the camera is in front of the Man with No Face. He is in a brown suit and does not move. He looks into the room where we are. A mask is over his eyes. We can feel the weight of his look. He looks at something in the room. We see he is looking at Eri Asai. Understanding comes to us. He can see through the TV into the room. The TV is working like a window.

For Questions 17-22, please read the following passage from Chapter 6 of Haruki Murakami’s After Dark. Choose the best responses to the prompts next to each passage. There is one and only one correct answer to each prompt.

Chapter 6, Page 58

“The Skylark. Big neon sign. Bright seating area visible through the window. Equally bright laughter from the youthful group of men and women—college students, likely —seated at a large table. This place is far livelier than the Denny's. The deepest darkness of the night-time streets is unable to penetrate here.

Mari is washing her hands in the Skylark restroom. She is no longer wearing her hat—or her glasses. From a ceiling speaker at low volume an old hit song by the Pet Shop Boys is playing: "Jealousy." Mari's big shoulder bag sits by the sink. She washes her hands with great care, using liquid soap from the dispenser. She appears to be washing off a sticky substance that clings to the spaces between her fingers. Every now and then she looks up at her face in the mirror. She turns off the water, examines all ten fingers under the light, and rubs them dry with a paper towel. She then leans close to the mirror and stares at the reflection of her face as if she expects something to happen. She doesn't want to miss the slightest change. But nothing happens. She rests her hands on the sink, closes her eyes, begins counting, and then opens her eyes again. Again she examines her face in detail, but still there is no sign of change.”

Note: Murakami says the Skylark has a bright (lighted) sign and seating area. There is laughter and more life than at Denny's. Darkness does not come in.

Mari is in the restroom washing her hands. She does not have her hat or glasses on. She hears a song called "Jealousy." She washes her hands carefully and keeps looking at her face in the mirror. She looks for a change in her face, but does not see anything.

(The word "bright" has many meanings. Some are "full of light," very intelligent," and "happy.")

For Questions 23-25, please read the following passage from enotes.com regarding the setting of Haruki Murakami’s After Dark. Choose the best responses to the prompts that follow. There is one and only one correct answer to each prompt.

“After Dark is set in the entertainment district of Tokyo, a place of all-night diners, cafes, bars, and (according to this novel) at least one so-called love motel—a place where people can rent a room by the hour to have sex.

The story starts a few minutes before midnight and ends as the sun is rising, right before 7:00 AM. It is the darkness of this setting that gives the story its intrigue, as it is often insinuated that this is the time that gangs lurk in the shadows, when women are not safe on the street, and when a social psychopath can get away with a brutal beating. Although these same things could be said about normal daylight, the dark setting provides menacing shadows that add more tension.

In these late hours, order is thrown out the window as respectable people sleep and the others roam the street and mothers and fathers and policemen look the other way. It is also a time of relative silence and solitude, when young people can talk in a park without anyone hearing them. And of course, it is a time when people dream, a special topic for Murakami to explore.”

"After Dark - Setting" eNotes Publishing Ed. Scott Locklear. eNotes.com, Inc. eNotes.com 1 Jan, 2017 <http://www.enotes.com/topics/after-dark-murakami/in-depth#in-depth-setting>

Note: The passage says that the book After Dark describes the entertainment area of Tokyo. Many places there are open all night. There is one or more love motels where people can rent a room to have sex. The story takes place in the dark--from just before midnight to before the sun comes up. The darkness helps bad people and is dangerous for good people. Most good people are asleep. Bad people can do what they want, but good young people like to go out at night  to parks where they can talk without anyone listening to them. Night is a time to dream.