The Seventh Man

What is one main purpose of the frame story in “The Seventh Man”?

• By using vivid descriptions, it helps explain why the seventh man was

  so attached to his friend K. and why he valued K.’s art.

• By presenting events in a clear sequence, it shows how the seventh man

  has been changed by his experiences.

• By describing listeners’ responses to the seventh man’s story, it shows

  that he is a good storyteller and a wise person.

• By leaving out details about where and why the seventh man is telling

  his story, it suggests that his story applies generally.

In “The Seventh Man,” which of the following is an important effect the writer achieves through the use of first-person narration?

• The seventh man’s experiences are presented in a fair, objective way.

• The pacing is more rapid because many story events are quickly

  summarized.

• The seventh man’s feelings are vivid because he shares them himself.

• Suspense increases because the reader does not know what the seventh

  man knows.

Which passage from the text most clearly supports the answer to Part A?

• I knew that the wave was coming, and K. didn’t know. As clearly as I

  knew what I ought to be doing, I found myself running the other way. . . .

  What made me do this, I’m sure, was fear.

• But it was too late. A wave like a huge snake with its head held high,

  poised to strike, was racing toward the shore. I had never seen anything

  like it before.

• In the tip of the [second] wave, as if enclosed in some kind of transparent

  capsule, floated K.’s body, reclining on its side. But that’s not all. K. was

  looking straight at me, smiling.

• Most of [K.’s pictures] were landscapes, pictures of the familiar stretch of

  ocean and sand beach and pine woods and the town, and all done with

  that special clarity and coloration I knew so well from K.’s hand.

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. Part A When the seventh man begins to tell his story, he introduces it in this way: “In my case, it was a wave,” he said. “There is no way for me to tell, of course, what it will be for each of you. But in my case it just happened to take the form of a gigantic wave. It presented itself to me all of a sudden one day without warning. And it was devastating.” What does this excerpt most clearly imply? To help you choose your answer, consider the events of the story.

• He believes that in life, every individual must confront fear in some form

  or another.

• He believes that his life was changed by a disaster in a way that others

  cannot understand.

• He believes that he has succeeded despite not knowing what will happen to

  others.

• He believes that in life, everyone will face the risk of a giant wave caused

  by a storm.

Which excerpt from "The Seventh Man" best explains why the seventh man feels responsible for K.'s death?

• He might have been so absorbed in whatever it was he had found that my call made no impression on him.

• I stood there, wondering what to do. Should I go down to the beach?

• I had always loved and protected K. as if he had been my own little brother.

• I probably could have run over and dragged him out of the reach of the wave.

In "The Seventh Man," why does the seventh man's view of the past begin to change?

• Studying K.'s art, he remembers that K. was gentle and realizes that his last look was not one of hatred.

• After his father dies, he returns home and realizes that he did not need to move to Nagano.

• Studying K.'s art, he realizes that K. would not have minded dying in the wave.

• After his father dies, he realizes that it was the second wave, not the first, that killed K.

In "The Seventh Man," what is the most important discovery that the seventh man makes when he returns to his hometown?

• He discovers that K. was a gentle and artistic soul.

• He learns that his father has died of cancer.

• He sees that the town remains the same as when he was a boy.

• He realizes that the dark shadow of K.'s death has left him.

What is the central theme of 'The Seventh Man'?

• Fear and its impact on life

• The power of friendship

• The inevitability of fate

• The beauty of nature

In 'The Seventh Man,' what literary device is primarily used to convey the protagonist's internal conflict?

• Metaphor

• Simile

• First-person narration

• Foreshadowing

Which event in 'The Seventh Man' serves as the climax of the story?

• The seventh man telling his story

• The wave approaching the shore

• The seventh man running away

• The seventh man returning to his hometown