The Protagonist
What is Niki Jumpei’s professional job in the city?
He is a schoolteacher
Who was already living in the house when Niki arrived at the bottom of the pit?
The Woman
What did the villagers do to Niki when he tried to stop working and went on "strike"?
They cut off his water supply
Why is the Woman taken away from the pit at the very end of the book?
She has an ectopic pregnancy
the lucky ones
+200
:)
How do the villagers deliver water and food to the people living in the pits?
They lower them in a basket using a rope
How did the villagers trap Niki? What did they remove to prevent him from leaving?
The rope ladder
Does Niki ever find out the Woman's real name?
No
What is Niki’s main hobby that brought him to the dunes?
Entomology / Collecting insects
What is the primary task that the Man and the Woman must perform every single night?
Shoveling sand out of the pit
During one of his escape attempts, Niki gets stuck. What traps him?
Quicksand
sorry, not today
-200
:(
At the start of the book, Niki compares the movement of sand to a specific state of matter. Does he compare it to a solid, a liquid, or a gas?
A liquid
What happened to the Woman’s husband and daughter?
They were buried alive in a sandstorm
What two "luxury" items did the villagers give Niki as a reward to keep him working?
Cigarettes and Sake.
What was the name of the water-collecting trap Niki invented?
Hope (Kibou)
What was Niki’s specific goal? Why was he looking for a new species of beetle?
To have his name recorded in an encyclopedia/achieve immortality through discovery
Why does the village need the people in the pits to shovel sand? What happens if they stop?
The houses will be buried, and the sand will eventually destroy the entire village
Niki creates a device to catch something precious. What is it, and what does it catch?
A trap that collects water from the sand via capillary action
How many years had passed before the court officially declared Niki Jumpei dead?
Seven years