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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where will the university send the dance troupe from December 23 to 26?

2. When Oksana and Katya went on a work retreat in August, how long did they have to walk through a marsh?

3. When does Chander tell Ksyusha that an Even girl disappeared?

4. During their camping trip, what type of meat does Katya set out for a snack before dinner?

5. When there was a fuel crisis in 1998, how long was Palana without power?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Valentina think that the Golosovky girls might be with their father?

2. Who is Oksana, and why has she had a terrible summer?

3. What does Ksyusha's family do for a living, and how did she join them as a child?

4. Who asks Alyona and Sophia for help as they walk home in "August"?

5. What is Sophia like?

6. What does Valentina have on her chest?

7. What does Olya's mother do for a living, and why is Olya on her own a lot?

8. What does Alisa want Ksyusha to join and why?

9. What happens when Alyona and Sophia get a ride with a man to their apartment?

10. What does Olya see as she leaves her apartment to go to see Diana?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nadia leaves Esso after a pipe breaks in the rental house she shares with her boyfriend and daughter. Why does the pipe breaking exasperate Nadia? How is it the last problem she wants to deal with in a series of problems? Why does she feel the need to escape? Does she find the freedom she is looking for?

Essay Topic 2

Why do Alyona, Sophia, and Olya have to spend a lot of time on their own? Why is it dangerous for them to be without adult supervision?

Essay Topic 3

Dramatic irony creates suspense between what characters know and what readers suspect. How does the author use dramatic irony in the book? How does the author’s use of dramatic irony create tension in the novel?

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This section contains 891 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample