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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. The excommunicated monk Stefan’s priory is in the region of what notorious death camp north of Warsaw, according to the narrator in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 7?

2. In the conclusion of Part IV: “In Paradise,” Chapter 16, the narrator describes Olin, saying, “In the wavering of candles he sits motionless, broken-brained and” what?

3. What does Olin leave behind in the bricks of the cellar at Birkenau as an offering to his mother in Part IV: “In Paradise” opens in Chapters 15?

4. What word from Part IV: “In Paradise,” Chapter 16 means extremely or impassively steep?

5. The narrator says in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 12 that “Olin’s brief marriage ended in divorce on grounds of what his wife’s attorney cited as” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Olin go into the town of Oswiecim in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 8? What does he take with him?

2. How does the narrator describe the correlations between art and evil in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 13?

3. What is significant about the tattoo that Malan shows Olin in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 13?

4. What happens with Sister Ann-Marie during the prayer service in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 8?

5. How is the theme of the human capacity for evil explored in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 11?

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 Olin come to meet Sister Catherine in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 6?

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

9. What story does Stefan reveal when he steps forward to “bear witness” in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 7?

10. Where does Olin go on the morning of the departure in Part IV: “In Paradise,” Chapter 15? What does he do here?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the history, rituals, beliefs, and customs of Judaism. How were the rituals and customs of Jews affected by imprisonment in the camps during WWII? How do you compare these customs with those of Christianity? How do the Jewish prayer services and the Catholic prayer services at the retreat differ?

Essay Topic 2

Identity and Self-Discovery

a. Discuss the themes of identity and self-discovery as they apply to protagonist Clements Olin in the novel. What does Clements come to discover about himself in the course of the story?

b. How do the themes of identity and self-discovery apply to the character of Georgie Earwig in the novel? Why is it important to Earwig to learn his family’s name?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, Young Woman with Ermine. What happened to this painting during World War II? Where was it discovered? When was the painting returned to Cracow? What does this painting symbolize to Clements Olin in the novel?

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