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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Pahom's wife say may happen to a man in town?
(a) He may become lazy.
(b) He may be the victim of crime.
(c) He may die of stress.
(d) He may be tempted by the devil.

2. What is Pahom's first reaction when he learns that people are moving to a new settlement?
(a) He tries to get their share of the commune lands.
(b) He thinks that maybe he can buy their land.
(c) He wants to sell his land and move.
(d) He worries that there will not be enough workers for his land.

3. What does the older sister brag about?
(a) Her housekeeping skill.
(b) Her clever children.
(c) Her comfortable life.
(d) Her loyal husband.

4. What bothers Pahom the most about the stripping of bark from his trees?
(a) Whoever did it cut down a whole clump of trees.
(b) He hates the idea of trees being wasted in this way.
(c) Whoever did it also let his cows out of their pen.
(d) He hates the idea of a stranger being on his land.

5. Whom does Pahom accuse of stripping his trees?
(a) His brother-in-law.
(b) The head of the commune.
(c) The innkeeper.
(d) Simon.

Short Answer Questions

1. When the younger sister is "piqued," what is she feeling?

2. How many acres does Pahom buy in his first land purchase?

3. What reaction do the peasants have when they hear rumors about the sale of the land?

4. What agreement does Pahom come to with the landowner?

5. What problem does the new steward create for the local peasants?

Short Essay Questions

1. What sequence of events with Simon follows Pahom's discovery of the stripped trees?

2. What changes the relationship between the woman who owns land near the village and the peasants, and how does the relationship change?

3. In what two ways is Pahom's first decision to buy land different from his later decisions?

4. How does Pahom's relationship with his community change, and what are two specific pieces of evidence for this change?

5. Pahom is most angry at the neighbor who has cut down his trees because whoever it was did not just take one or two trees but instead cut down a whole clump of trees. Why does this make Pahom angry, and what is ironic about his anger?

6. In Chapter I, what is ironic about where Pahom is while he listens to his wife and her sister talk?

7. When the devil overhears Pahom's thoughts, what does he vow to do?

8. What sacrifices do Pahom and his family make for the first plot of land that they buy?

9. In Chapter I, what is ironic about the conversation between the two sisters?

10. What prevents the peasants from buying the nearby landowner's land as a group instead of as individuals?

(see the answer keys)

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