60 pages • 2 hours read
Kazuo IshiguroA Family Supper
Fiction | Short Story | YA | Published in 1983A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Exam Answer Key
Multiple Choice
1. C (Page 440)
2. B (Various pages)
3. A (Pages 436-437)
4. C (Various pages)
5. D (Various pages)
6. A (Various pages)
7. A (Page 440)
8. B (Various pages)
9. D (Page 436)
10. B (Various pages)
Long Answer
1. The title “A Family Supper” has positive connotations because family mealtimes are usually a happy time. However, the family supper that occurs in Ishiguro’s story is riddled with conflict and tension, so the expectation of the title does not align with the reality of the story’s plot. (Various pages)
2. Watanabe’s death is considered honorable by the narrator’s father because Watanabe was a “man of principle and honor”; it is his generational viewpoint that dying by suicide in reaction to shame or dishonor is acceptable. The father’s omission of the murder of Watanabe’s family and his referring to it later as a mistake underplays Watanabe’s actions, still maintaining his honor in the father’s eyes. Kikuko’s reaction is disgust and shock over the murder of Watanabe’s wife and two daughters; she sheds no tears for Watanabe. Her reaction is a reflection of the generational divide between the characters. (Various pages)
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By Kazuo Ishiguro
