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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. Why are Julia and Ginzburg put outside for an hour and a half?

2. What does Maria Nimtsevitskaya give Ginzburg?

3. About what does Julia become optimistic?

4. For how long is Ginzburg at Yaroslavl?

5. What is crawling with insects?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when the Prison Governor comes to visit Ginzburg?

2. Upon what does Ginzburg reflect when she hears that Lenin's widow has died?

3. What does Ginzburg learn about her father and how does this seem to cause unwarranted punishment?

4. What are some of the rules Ginzburg mentions as being cited on a paper hanging on the wall?

5. How do Ginzburg and her mother write letters to each other in code and what is an example of one such letter?

6. Who is Marya Dogadkina and how is she described?

7. When is Ginzburg freed and what does she persist in believing in despite her life in prison?

8. What happens when the prisoners are held in a transfer camp?

9. What solution do Julia and Ginzburg find to reading in low light?

10. Why does Ginzburg waken one day to find Krivitsky standing over her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

People are an important part of what makes Journey Into the Whirlwind interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Thoroughly discuss and analyze Eugenia Ginzburg. What are her strengths? Her weaknesses? How does she contribute to the plot? Is she a sympathetic character? Is she ever likable? Never likable? Use specific examples to illustrate your ideas.

2. Thoroughly discuss and analyze Stalin. What are his strengths? His weaknesses? How does he contribute to the plot? Is he a sympathetic character? Is he ever likable? Never likable? Use specific examples to illustrate your ideas.

3. Thoroughly discuss and analyze the character of Julia. What are her strengths? Her weaknesses? How does she contribute to the plot? Is she a sympathetic character? Is she ever likable? Never likable? Use specific examples to illustrate your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think Journey Into the Whirlwind is? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 3

Journey Into the Whirlwind belongs to the memoir genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the memoir genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a memoir and a historical novel?

(see the answer keys)

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