The Seventh Man - Comprehension

In 'The Seventh Man,' which statement best summarizes what happens in the weeks following K.'s death?

• He falls ill and has nightmares.

• He moves to Nagano.

• He starts attending a different school.

• He spends hours studying K.'s artwork.

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.

Which is the most likely reaction a person might have to a desperate situation?

• a feeling of boredom

• a desire for sleep

• a feeling of panic

• a desire to learn

In which circumstances is a person most likely to be entranced?

• when watching a beautiful sunset

• when hearing a window break in a storm

• when looking for a lost wallet

• when saying goodbye to old friends

If a person experiences profound sorrow, which of the following must be true?

• The person’s feeling of sorrow will last briefly.

• The person’s feeling of sorrow is deep and intense.

• The person appears to feel sorrow but does not really.

• The person thinks long and hard about his or her feelings.

Part A What does the giant wave most clearly represent to the seventh man?

• It represents death, which causes hatred among people.

• It represents art, which can capture the spirit of nature.

• It represents our fears, which keep us from doing what we should.

• It represents nature, which is both beautiful and awe-inspiring.

Part B 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.

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.