1. What does Ivanovich do to distract himself from "the absurdity and horror of the situation" (6)?
(a) Looks out the window at the scenery.
(b) Reads his book.
(c) Tries to fall asleep.
(d) Plays solitaire.

2. Who is the author of "Cloud, Castle, Lake"?
(a) Leo Tolstoy.
(b) Vladimir Nabokov.
(c) Ivan Turgenev
(d) Anton Chekhov.

3. What does Ivanovich associate with happiness?
(a) His childhood.
(b) His friends.
(c) Music.
(d) Work.

4. The narrator describes a hill covered with "verdure"; what is this hill covered with?
(a) Cultivated plants.
(b) Sprouting plants.
(c) Rotting plants.
(d) Flourishing plants.

5. What does the narrator say is "dangerous for the soul" (7)?
(a) "A memory of love, disguised as a meadow."
(b) The "charm the world acquires when it is wound up and moving like a merry-go-round."
(c) The "configuration of some entirely insignificant objects."
(d) "The anonymity of all the parts of a landscape."

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following best characterizes the narrator's attitude toward the absurd process that Ivanovich is told he must follow to sell back the tickets?

2. What technique is used in the phrase "toward a train lurking behind other trains"?

3. When the man tells stories about his "philanderings," what is he talking about (5)?

4. What is discovered when the group members pool their food for dinner?

5. What is Schramm's job title?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 269 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample