Question

the seventh man part 3

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

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:

Question 1: Narrative Mystery

The text begins with a direct quote from the seventh man, then shifts to a third-person narrator describing the setting and the group, and later returns to the seventh man's first-person narration. This switching of narrative perspective creates mystery.

Question 2: Tone Analysis

The tone of the first page is somber, tense, and reflective. Phrases like "almost whispering," "wind tearing through the darkness," "swallowed everything that mattered most," and "lost in silence" support this heavy, serious mood.

Question 3: Emotional Impact Evidence

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.

Question 4: Word Choice Impact

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

Question 5: Comma Error Identification

Paragraph 12 is not fully visible in the image, but the prompt asks to find and circle the comma error in that paragraph on the worksheet.

Answer:

Question 1

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

Question 2

The tone is somber, tense, and reflective.
Supporting phrases: "almost whispering," "wind tearing through the darkness," "swallowed everything that mattered most," and "lost in silence."

Question 3

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

Question 4

"Devastating" means causing severe shock, distress, or total destruction. It is more effective because it carries a strong emotional weight of complete ruin and trauma, whereas "large" or "powerful" only describe physical scale or force without the associated grief and loss.

Question 5

The text for paragraph 12 is cut off at the bottom of the image and cannot be read.