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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. How does Cincinnatus feel about his wife?

2. What reason does Cincinnatus give Emmie that proves to him that everyone is talking about the date of his execution?

3. What is dirtying the lawyer's back?

4. What method of death does Cincinnatus write that he would prefer to beheading by axe?

5. What unnatural event from Cincinnatus' childhood does he describe?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the inside of the prison.

2. What does Cincinnatus realize as he heads back to his cell with Rodion?

3. What happens after Cincinnatus goes to bed, the night after the prisoner arrives?

4. What does Cincinnatus describe happening to the world in his dreams?

5. In the story that Cincinnatus tells from his childhood, how does he get to the garden?

6. How does Cincinnatus' father-in-law say goodbye to him?

7. After the director reads his formal speech to Cincinnatus, where does Cincinnatus go?

8. What does Emmie do with the water jug in Cincinnatus' cell?

9. How do the lawyer, the prison director, and Rodion characterize Cincinnatus' behavior?

10. What happens when there start to be complaints about Cincinnatus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The ending of the novel is ambiguous, open to more than one interpretation. Discuss the ending of the novel.

1) If the ending of the novel is objectively real, what is happening? Why is Cincinnatus able to walk away? What does this imply about Cincinnatus's character, the culture he is immersed in, and the prison that he has been in? What does it imply about the other characters?

2) If the ending of the novel is merely Cincinnatus's subjective perception, what is happening? Why is Cincinnatus suddenly freed? What does this imply about Cincinnatus's character, the nature of reality, the culture he is immersed in, and the prison he has been in? What does it imply about his crime?

3) What is your personal interpretation of the ending of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Cincinnatus's character and how others perceive him in the novel.

1) What does Cincinnatus's writing reveal about his character?

2) How do other people perceive and treat Cincinnatus in the novel? What character flaws do others point out to him? Is there any truth in these accusations?

3) How does Cincinnatus change over the course of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the setting of the prison.

1) Why is the prison set high on a mountain? Why is Cincinnatus the only prisoner? Why is it so large and rambling, with confused passages? What does this contribute to the novel?

2) What does Cincinnatus's cell look like? What do the elements in Cincinnatus's cell represent or indicate? How is Cincinnatus's cell different from Pierre's cell?

3) Why do the cell and prison collapse when Cincinnatus is taken away to be executed?

(see the answer keys)

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