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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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

• Metaphor

• Simile

• First-person narration

• Foreshadowing

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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

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