This space contains
reference material beginning next to Question 13.
To answer Questions 13-18, please read the
following passage from Chapter 12 of Haruki Murakami’s After Dark.
Choose the best responses to the prompts next to the passage. There is
one and only one correct answer to each prompt.
Chapter 12, pages 162-3
“Shirakawa inspects his face in the mirror.
The muscles of his face remain immobile as he stares at himself long and
hard with severe eyes. His hands rest on the sink. He holds his breath
and never blinks, fully expecting that, if he were to stay like this
long enough, some other thing might emerge. To objectify all the senses,
to flatten the consciousness, to put a temporary freeze on logic, to
bring the advance of time to a halt if only momentarily— this is what he
is trying to do: to fuse his being with the scene behind him, to make
everything look like a neutral still life. Try as he might to suppress
his own presence, that other thing never emerges. His image in the
mirror remains just that: an image of himself in reality. A reflection
of what is there. He gives up, takes a deep breath, filling his lungs
with new air, and straightens his posture. Relaxing his muscles, he
rolls his head in two big circles. Then he picks up his personal
articles from the sink and places them in the vinyl bag again. He balls
up the towel he used to dry his body and throws it in the wastebasket.
He turns the light out as he exits the lavatory. The door closes.”
(Murakami, 162-3)
To answer Questions 19-23, please read the
following passage from Chapter 11 of Haruki Murakami’s After Dark.
Choose the best responses to the prompts next to the passage. There is
one and only one correct answer to each prompt.
Chapter 11, Pages 156
“‘Well, look. You're the kid sister, but you
always had a good, clear image of what you wanted for yourself. You were
able to say no when you had to, and you did things at your own pace. But
Eri Asai couldn't do that. From the time she was a little girl, her job
was to play her assigned role and satisfy the people around her. She
worked hard to be a perfect little Snow White—if I can borrow your name
for her. It's true that everybody made a big fuss over her, but I'll bet
that was really tough for her sometimes. At one of the most crucial
points in her life, she didn't have a chance to establish a firm self.
If 'complex' is too strong a word, let's just say she probably envied
you.’” (Murakami, 156)
To
answer Questions 24-27, please read the following essay excerpt about
Haruki Murakami’s After Dark. Choose the best responses to the
prompts next to the excerpt. There is one and only one correct answer to
each prompt.
“Japanese literature has a unique history
of being very self-reflective, perhaps because of their experiences
throughout history as their culture evolved into what it is today. The
contemporary works that can be seen and read today reflect that history
and the kind of culture that thrives within its islands continuously.
For this paper, the specific work that will be analyzed is Haruki
Murakami’s After Dark and a formalist approach of analysis will
be used in order to derive and understand how this work is reflective of
the contemporary Japanese society and culture of the present...Set in
contemporary metropolitan Tokyo, [After Dark] tells a story of
things that happen in the late hours of the night where everyone is
usually asleep. It seems to mainly explore the theme of isolation with
each of the characters whose experiences throughout the events of the
novel seem coincidentally connected to each other in some way. In a way,
it can be said that this work is reflective of a contemporary Japanese
society and culture wherein the people constantly try to find
connections with each other but cannot because of their own personal
kinds of isolation…”
Abulencia AC. 2015. Mari Asai’s Personal
Isolation in Haruki Murakami’s After DarkAsian Journal of
Humanity, Art and Literature, 2, 34-38.
For Questions 1-12, please mark the letter of the correct definition of the given vocabulary word.
resounding
(n.) a road
(adj.) independent
(adj.) loud
(adj.) methodical
systematic
(n.) a road
(adj.) independent
(adj.) loud
(adj.) methodical
conduit
(adj.) ordinary
(adv.) without effort
(adv.) without feeling
(n.) a pathway
arterial
(n.) a road
(adj.) independent
(adj.) loud
(adj.) methodical
negligence
(n.) carelessness
(n.) time
(v.) to consider
(v.) to determine
mundane
(adj.) ordinary
(adv.) without effort
(adv.) without feeling
(n.) a pathway
halfheartedly
(adj.) ordinary
(adv.) without effort
(adv.) without feeling
(n.) a pathway
temporality
(n.) carelessness
(n.) time
(v.) to consider
(v.) to determine
ascertain
(n.) carelessness
(n.) time
(v.) to consider
(v.) to determine
impassively
(adj.) ordinary
(adv.) without effort
(adv.) without feeling
(n.) a pathway
brood
(n.) carelessness
(n.) time
(v.) to consider
(v.) to determine
autonomous
(n.) a road
(adj.) independent
(adj.) loud
(adj.) methodical
(RL1) From the following lines, what can we infer that Shirakawa is trying to do while in the lavatory? “To objectify all the senses, to flatten the consciousness, to put a temporary freeze on logic, to bring the advance of time to a halt if only momentarily--”
watch the television intently
destroy the evidence from his crime
feel all of his senses completely
escape from time and space reality
(RL4) What would be the best synonym for the word “objectify” as it is used in this passage? “To objectify all the senses, to flatten the consciousness, to put a temporary freeze on logic, to bring the advance of time to a halt if only momentarily--”
plainly define
irrationally confuse
totally irritate
permanently eliminate
(RL3) Why would Shirakawa want to “fuse his being with the scene behind him”? “...this is what he is trying to do: to fuse his being with the scene behind him, to make everything look like a neutral still life.”
He doesn’t want to feel the truth of his reality.
He wants to heighten his senses to feel everything.
He wants time to speed up so he can enjoy it.
He wants to remember this moment forever.
(RL2) What thematic statement would best sum up this excerpt?
Love knows no bounds when it comes to a desire for revenge on offenders.
Only in isolation can people feel like they are truly close to those around them.
Life can make a person want to eliminate his/her own real presence in it.
Mirrors are best for witnessing the truths in the human soul.
(RL5) What is NOT ironic about Murakami’s manipulation of time in this passage?
Time is moving, but “the muscles of [Shirakawa’s] face remain immobile.”
Time is moving, but Shirakawa’s “hands rest on the sink.”
Time is moving, but Shirakawa “holds his breath and never blinks.”
Time is moving, but Shirakawa wants “to put a temporary freeze on logic.”
(RL6) Which of the following best sums up Murakami’s purpose in this particular passage?
He wants to examine bathroom behavior as indicative of how humans should behave.
He wants to define the relationship between men and women in contemporary society.
He wants to indicate that people can stay motionless for long periods of time.
He wants to suggest that a person’s true conscious perception is inescapable.
(RL2) What isn’t ironic about what Takahashi points out in his comparison of the sisters?
Eri has had a harder life even though her beauty should have made things easier.
Mari knows what she wants for herself even though she’s less experienced.
Eri probably envies Mari even though she has the physical gifts that her sister lacks.
Mari knows herself better even though Eri knew her assigned role from an earlier age.
Eri is perfectly behaved even though she’s the older of the two siblings.
(RL3) What isn’t something that we can infer makes Mari jealous with regard to her sister?
Everyone sees Eri as a “little Snow White.”
Eri is seen as “perfect.”
Everybody makes a “big fuss” over Eri
Eri hasn’t established a “firm self.”
(RL1) What can we infer is something that Eri lacks as compared to Mari?
free will
beauty
an assigned role
jealousy
(RL4) Why does Mari compare her sister to the fictional character, Snow White?
Eri is overly pale, to the point of resembling an albino.
Eri is perfect in the eyes of her sister.
Eri lives with a bunch of diminutive guys.
Eri treats Mari like an evil stepmother.
(RL3) What do Takahashi’s revealed insights about the sisters reveal about his character’s intentions?
Takahashi wants to make Mari feel bad about being jealous of her sister.
Knowing that Eri has been imprisoned, Takahashi blames Mari.
After formerly being attracted to Eri, Takahashi is attracted to Mari.
Takahashi is trying to reveal that he’s the long-lost brother of the two sisters.
(RI5) Which of the following is an initial claim made by the author in this passage?
“Japanese literature has a unique history of being very self-reflective, perhaps because of their experiences throughout history as their culture evolved into what it is today.”
“For this paper, the specific work that will be analyzed is Haruki Murakami’s After Dark…”
“Set in contemporary metropolitan Tokyo, [After Dark] tells a story of things that happen in the late hours of the night where everyone is usually asleep.”
“...a formalist approach of analysis will be used in order to derive and understand how this work is reflective of the contemporary Japanese society and culture of the present…”
RI4) What does the word “its” refer to in the following quote from the passage? (What’s the “it”?) “The contemporary works that can be seen and read today reflect that history and the kind of culture that thrives within its islands continuously.”
works
history
Japan
culture
(RI1) Whom can we infer is the intended audience for this particular work?
authors of the same caliber as Haruki Murakami
experts in Asian history and culture
students of contemporary Japanese literature
only Japanese people who reside in Japan
(RI2) According to the author, why can’t contemporary Japanese people find connections with one another?
They don’t have needs nor desires to do so.
They don’t have opportunities to do so.
They have a need for sleeping instead of interacting.
They have prohibiting, personal kinds of isolation.
Pick the best subject pronouns to fill in the blanks. One of the cottage builders is ____, and the writer of the touching letter is ____.
him; her
he; she
he; her
him; she
Which sentence is written correctly?
The ones most anxious to see Henrys wife are he and I.
The ones most anxious to see Henry’s wife are him and me.
The ones most anxious to see Henry’s wife are he and I.
The ones most anxious to see Henry’s wife is him and me.