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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To what does the Count compare "how time passes when one is left waiting unaccountably" in the opening of Book 4: "1953: Apostles and Apostates"?
(a) "Like the wheeling of the stars."
(b) "Like the passing of clouds."
(c) "Like the blooming of lilies."
(d) "Like the turning of the planets."

2. At what time does the Count approach the Shalyapin in the opening of Book 3: "Absinthe"?
(a) 11:30.
(b) 12:15.
(c) 1:15.
(d) 11:45.

3. Where does the Count keep money hidden in a secret compartment in his room?
(a) The Grand Duke's desk legs.
(b) His book of Anna Karenina.
(c) His father's twice-chiming clock.
(d) His book of Montaigne essays.

4. How old was the Count when his father sat him down to explain Darwin's theory of natural selection?
(a) 9.
(b) 14.
(c) 6.
(d) 12.

5. Where is the American general described as being from in Book 3: "Antics, Antitheses, an Accident"?
(a) Arkansas.
(b) California.
(c) Texas.
(d) Nevada.

6. What animals have been set loose on the fourth floor of the Metropol in Book 3: "Antics, Antitheses, an Accident"?
(a) Geese.
(b) Cats.
(c) Chickens.
(d) Pigeons.

7. Sofia plays the music of what composer when the Count enters the ballroom in Book 4: "1950: Adagio, Andante, Allegro"?
(a) Mozart.
(b) Chopin.
(c) Pachelbel.
(d) Beethoven.

8. Where is a private party held at the Boyarsky in Book 3: "An Alliance"?
(a) In the Blue Room.
(b) In the Yellow Room.
(c) In the Red Room.
(d) In the White Room.

9. What animal from the "Dark Continent" does the Count describe to Sofia in Book 3: "Adjustments"?
(a) The rhinocerus.
(b) The giraffe.
(c) The elephant.
(d) The ape.

10. How old does the colonel claim to be in Book 3: "An Alliance"?
(a) 26.
(b) 46.
(c) 39.
(d) 42.

11. Who is the friend that the Count toasts to over Sofia's piano success in Book 4: "1950: Adagio, Andante, Allegro"?
(a) Anna Urbanova.
(b) Osip Ivanovich Glebnikov.
(c) Nina Kulikova.
(d) Richard Vanderwhile.

12. Where will Sofia be performing with the orchestra of the Moscow Conservatory in Paris in Book 5: "1954: Applause and Acclaim"?
(a) The Amor Garnier.
(b) The Grand Hall.
(c) The Paris Showhouse.
(d) The Palais Garnier.

13. How old is Sofia said to be in the opening of Book 4: "1950: Adagio, Andante, Allegro"?
(a) 15.
(b) 13.
(c) 17.
(d) 19.

14. What is Emile's last name?
(a) Kulikova.
(b) Rostov.
(c) Urbanova.
(d) Zhukovsky.

15. At precisely what time do the doors open for the special dinner in Book 5: "An Announcement"?
(a) 7:00.
(b) 9:00.
(c) 7:30.
(d) 8:00.

Short Answer Questions

1. At what time does the Count take a chair in the manager's office of the Metropol Hotel in the opening of Book 3: "Antics, Antitheses, an Accident"?

2. Who is tending bar at the Shalyapin when the Count visits in Book 3: "Absinthe"?

3. How long did it take Hitler's troops to march from the Russian frontier to the outskirts of Moscow in Operation Barbarossa?

4. Where has Sofia's venue in Paris been changed to in Book 5: "Anecdotes"?

5. What is described in Book 5: "An Announcement" as "one of the most intricate and purposeful constructions ever manufactured by man"?

(see the answer keys)

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