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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. In, "In the Ravine", what is the village Ukleyevo known for?
(a) The woman who burned the baby.
(b) The man who ate all the caviar at a memorial.
(c) The good water.
(d) The vodka.

2. What does Liza want Korolev to confirm?
(a) That her heart will get better and she will live healthily.
(b) That she can be a beautiful young woman.
(c) That things will change in their lifetime.
(d) That she is not ill but sick of the factory.

3. How long does Olga and Pustovalov's marriage last before he dies of illness?
(a) Three months.
(b) Six years.
(c) Three years.
(d) Six months.

4. In "On Official Business", where is the scene of death?
(a) The clerk's office.
(b) The village hall.
(c) The Zemstvo cottage.
(d) The Zemstvo's barn.

5. How does the coroner end up at von Taunitz's?
(a) The beadle makes connections for him.
(b) Von Taunitz condemns Starchenko for not inviting him.
(c) The von Taunitzs are old friends of his.
(d) The coroner wanders to the first warm house he sees.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Katya ask of Bishop Pyotr?

2. What causes the beadle to be so poor?

3. Why haven't Vasilisa and her husband received any word from Yefimya?

4. What does Lyzhin do for the beadle when he sees him at von Taunitz's?

5. Why do Ivan Ivanych and Burkin call on Alekhin in "Gooseberries"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Olga become committed to Sasha?

2. What is going through Anisim's head as he is getting married? What might this foreshadow in his life?

3. What is life like for Pyotr?

4. How does Korolev show judgment on the Lialikovs?

5. Describe what life is like in the countryside where there is a factory?

6. In "At Christmastime", Vasilisa writes a letter to her daughter after four years of not seeing her. Why does Vasilisa take such care in her choice of words?

7. What is the Tsybukins' reaction to Nikifor's death?

8. What does Korolev theorize is the cause of imbalance between the strong and the weak?

9. In "On Official Business", why does the coroner believe the city is the center of Russia? What does he think of the village and countryside?

10. Compare and contrast Olga's husbands and lovers. How are their personality types alike and different? How does this affect Olga as a person?

(see the answer keys)

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