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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When the man tells stories about his "philanderings," what is he talking about (5)?
(a) Casual sexual relationships.
(b) Stamp collecting.
(c) Donations to charity.
(d) Getting very drunk with friends.

2. Whom does the Bureau's song recommend should be "killed" by a walk in the countryside with "the good, the hearty guys" (9)?
(a) The artist.
(b) The outsider.
(c) The loner.
(d) The hermit.

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

4. Who hosted the charity ball where Ivanovich won the tour?
(a) The German government.
(b) Russian refugees.
(c) The narrator's business.
(d) A German tourism trade group.

5. In the phrase "several people, alas, were taking part in the excursion," what is the word "alas" meant to convey (4)?
(a) Ivanovich's concern that the train will be overcrowded.
(b) Ivanovich's preference to do things on his own.
(c) The narrator's belief that travel is unnecessary.
(d) The narrator's belief that the excursion will be dull.

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

7. What technique is used in the sentence "The burning sun crept toward a corner of the window and suddenly spilled over the yellow bench" (6)?
(a) Juxtaposition.
(b) Paradox.
(c) Imagery.
(d) Simile.

8. What does Ivanovich enjoy reading?
(a) French Baroque poetry.
(b) German Classical poetry.
(c) Russian lyrical poetry.
(d) English metaphysical poetry.

9. 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?
(a) Bemused.
(b) Scornful.
(c) Matter-of-fact.
(d) Skeptical.

10. What "fancy-style" item does Ivanovich buy for his trip (3)?
(a) A pair of hiking boots.
(b) An enormous backpack.
(c) A flannel shirt.
(d) A walking stick.

11. What is the tour group doing in the passage that says "they raised dust along a highway" (12)?
(a) Riding in a car.
(b) Fighting.
(c) Digging.
(d) Walking.

12. 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 anonymity of all the parts of a landscape."
(d) The "configuration of some entirely insignificant objects."

13. What does Ivanovich feel is happening as the first night of the tour wears on?
(a) The others are becoming more tolerant of his eccentricities.
(b) The other group members are starting to dislike Schramm.
(c) The others are melding together into one collective being.
(d) The group leader is losing power to Schramm.

14. What word does the narrator say describes the appearance of "all creatures still unknown to us" (4)?
(a) "Formidable."
(b) "Cryptic."
(c) "Drowsy."
(d) "Innocent."

15. What does the narrator remember about the time of year in which the story takes place?
(a) It was damp and cold.
(b) It was an exceptionally hot summer.
(c) It was shortly after the last snow melted.
(d) The leaves had begun to turn.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long has Ivanovich been in love with a married woman?

2. How does Ivanovich get to the train on the morning of his departure?

3. On page 19, to what does the narrator compare Ivanovich's return journey, away from the lake?

4. What detail of Ivanovich's appearance seems to impress the narrator?

5. What is the "unusual expression" of the lake's water (14)?

(see the answer keys)

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