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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. What poet does Olin quote in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 11 when he describes “something not known to anyone at all but wild in our breast for centuries”?

2. What word used by Father Mikal in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 13 means easily influenced?

3. What word from the novel refers to the religious official of a synagogue who conducts the liturgical portion of a service and sings or chants the prayers?

4. What word from Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 6 refers to a person who is friendly to or admires England or English customs, etc.?

5. How many times does Father Mikal say the novices have attended Confession from him in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 13?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reason does Olin give for his family’s failure to search for his mother when he “bears witness” in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 14?

2. What information does Earwig relate regarding his family in Part IV: “In Paradise,” Chapter 15?

3. What realities about his grandparents does Olin come to terms with in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 6?

4. How is the character of Stanislav K. described in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 8?

5. Where does Olin go after Catherine bids him farewell in Part IV: “In Paradise,” Chapter 16?

6. How does the narrator describe the mood of the attendees in the beginning of Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 11?

7. How does the narrator describe the Olinskis’ efforts to locate Clements’s mother in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 7?

8. Who steps forward to “bear witness” at the meditation meeting in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 10? What does this character reveal?

9. What does Father Mikal discuss with Olin in the beginning of Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 13?

10. How does the dancing come about in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 11? Who dances alongside Olin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of G. Earwig in the novel. How does Earwig’s behavior stand apart from the other retreat attendees? Where is Earwig from? What do you think his objectives are in attending the retreat?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the mission of the retreat at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. In writing In Paradise, author Peter Matthiessen has stated that the story was influenced by his own experience at a meditation retreat there. What was the purpose of this retreat? How does it compare with the retreat in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the attraction and tension between Olin and Sister Catherine in In Paradise. Are there indications in the text that Sister Catherine shares an attraction to Dr. Olin? How does Olin perceive his own feelings for Sister Catherine?

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