Question

the seventh man
by haruki murakami translated by jay rubin

1 \a huge wave nearly swept me away,\ said the seventh man, almost whispering.
2 \it happened one september afternoon when i was ten years old.\
3 the man was the last one to tell his story that night. the hands of the clock had moved past ten. the small group that huddled in a circle could hear the wind tearing through the darkness outside, heading west. it shook the trees, set the windows to rattling, and moved past the house with one final whistle.
4 \it was the biggest wave i had ever seen in my life,\ he said. \a strange wave. an absolute giant.\
5 he paused.
6 \it just barely missed me, but in my place it swallowed everything that mattered most to me and swept it off to another world. i took years to find it again to recover from the experience-precious years that can never be replaced.\
7 the seventh man appeared to be in his mid-fifties. he was a thin man, tall, with a moustache, and next to his right eye he had a short but deep-looking scar that could have been made by the stab of a small blade. stiff, bristly patches of white marked his short hair. his face had the look you see on people when they cant quite find the words they need. in his case, though, the expression seemed to have been there from long before, as though it were part of him. the man wore a simple blue shirt under a grey tweed coat, and every now and then he would bring his hand to his collar. none of those assembled there knew his name or what he did for a living.
8 he cleared his throat, and for a moment or two his words were lost in silence. the others waited for him to go on.
9 \in my case, it was a wave,\ he said. \theres 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.\
10 i grew up in a seaside town in the province of s. it was such a small town, i doubt that any of you would recognize the name if i were to mention it. my father was the local doctor, and so i led a rather comfortable childhood. ever since i could remember, my best friend was a boy ill call k. his house was close to ours, and he was a grade behind me in school. we were like brothers, walking to and from school together, and always playing together when we got home. we never once fought during our long friendship. i did have a brother, six years older, but what with the age difference and differences in our personalities, we were never very close. my real brotherly affection went to my friend k.

1. how does the author create mystery to the story?

by telling the story in second person
by switching the narrator of the story
by switching from first person to third person and back again
jumping into a story when a seventh man was sharing his experiences.

1. what is the tone of the first page? underline words or phrases that support this tone.

1. underline a sentence that shows the narrator still feels emotional about the event many years later.

1. what does the word \devastating\ mean here? why is more effective than words like \large\ or \powerful?\

1. find the comma error in paragraph 12. circle it.

Explanation:

Analyze the narrative frame and perspective shifts

The story begins with a frame narrative where a "seventh man" is speaking to a group. Paragraph 3 describes the setting of this group ("The small group that huddled in a circle..."). In paragraph 10, the narrator shifts to his personal backstory ("I grew up in a seaside town..."). This represents a shift from a first-person frame narrator to a third-person description of the group, and back to the first-person story of his childhood.

Determine the tone and supporting textual evidence

The tone of the first page is somber, tense, and mysterious. Supporting phrases include: "almost whispering" (paragraph 1), "wind tearing through the darkness" (paragraph 3), "swallowed everything that mattered most to me" (paragraph 6), and "it was devastating" (paragraph 9).

Identify emotional resonance in the text

In paragraph 6, the narrator states: "It took years to find it again to recover from the experience—precious years that can never be replaced." This directly shows the long-lasting emotional toll and regret many years later.

Evaluate word choice and semantic intensity

"Devastating" means causing severe shock, distress, or total destruction. It is more effective than "large" or "powerful" because it conveys profound emotional and psychological trauma, rather than just physical size or force.

Locate the comma error in paragraph 12

Paragraph 12 is not fully visible in the image (the text cuts off at paragraph 10). Based on standard curriculum materials for "The Seventh Man," paragraph 12 contains a comma splice or a missing comma in a compound sentence. Since paragraph 12 is cut off, we note this limitation.

Answer:

Question 1

• by telling the story in second person
• by switching the narrator of the story
• by switching from first person to third person and back again (Correct answer)
• jumping into a story when a seventh man was sharing his experiences.

Question 2

The tone is somber, tense, and haunting.
Supporting phrases:

• "almost whispering" (Paragraph 1)
• "wind tearing through the darkness outside" (Paragraph 3)
• "swallowed everything that mattered most to me" (Paragraph 6)
• "it was devastating" (Paragraph 9)

Question 3

"It took years to find it again to recover from the experience—precious years that can never be replaced." (Paragraph 6)

Question 4

"Devastating" means causing severe shock, distress, or overwhelming destruction. It is more effective than "large" or "powerful" because it emphasizes the profound emotional trauma and irreversible ruin experienced by the narrator, rather than just describing physical size or strength.

Question 5

Paragraph 12 is not visible in the provided image.