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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. When Polo lands at the furthest city to which he's ever traveled, he arrives when?

2. When families in Leandra move in to new houses, who follows them?

3. What does a traveler arriving to Baucis see?

4. What happens to the city of Irene as one approaches it?

5. What do the residents of Ersilia do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Leonia, the city that reinvents itself daily, is in danger of what?

2. Describe the two sides of the city of Moriana.

3. As Khan visualizes the growth of his empire, what are some of the concerns he has?

4. When Polo sees familiar faces in the city of Adelma, what does he start to wonder?

5. In what significant way is Argia different from all other cities Polo describes?

6. Who lives in the underground city of Eusapia, and who has access to it?

7. What eventually happens to travelers who decide to stay in Phyllis to discover all of its secrets?

8. How do the people of Beersheba regard the heavenly version of their city?

9. How does Clarice preserve and display its history?

10. What does Polo say to Khan when the emperor points out that he never speaks of Venice?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A common thread through Polo's tales of Khan's cities is "dreams and imagination." His stories are not only informative, but also extremely entertaining for the emperor thanks to the element of fantasy Polo employs.

1) Using specific examples from the book, explain how Marco Polo carries the theme of "dreams and imagination" in his stories.

2) How does this theme grab and hook Khan into Polo's tales?

Essay Topic 2

Part 1) What does Polo stand to gain by sharing stories about the empire's cities with Khan? What might he lose?

Part 2) How does Khan benefit from the information provided by Polo? Does it affect his ruling style in any way? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Khan alternates between being pessimistic and being optimistic about his empire.

1) What concerns and hopes does Khan have about his empire? Cite specific examples.

2) How do Polo's stories fuel or soothe the emperor's worries and ambitions?

3) Seeing Khan at odds with himself, how does Polo use this opportunity to expand the emperor's understanding of the cities within his empire?

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