This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Before going to bed the night before beginning work on the railway, what does the narrator ask Zorba if he's ever done?
(a) Fathered a child.
(b) Fought in a war.
(c) Been to Italy.
(d) Killed a woman.

2. Why does the narrator call a doctor on Easter?
(a) Madame Hortense has grown very ill.
(b) The widow has fallen from a cliff.
(c) The widow appears to be pregnant.
(d) Zorba has grown very ill.

3. Who attempts to cheer Zorba up following the death of Hortense?
(a) The dirge singers.
(b) The monks.
(c) The festival-goers.
(d) Anagnosti.

4. For what do the villagers gather to watch in Chapter 20?
(a) Zorba celebrates the beginning of the railway construction.
(b) The narrator holds a celebration for the mine's reopening.
(c) Zorba weds Madame Hortense.
(d) A newborn baby is baptized.

5. Who does Zorba adopt when Hortense dies?
(a) Pavli.
(b) Hortense's parrot.
(c) Dimitri.
(d) Hortense's daughter.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who publicly defends the accused and attempts to break up the mob which seeks justice for Pavli's death?

2. Which character reveals that he had a son who died at the age of three?

3. Who claims the right to pronounce judgment on the widow regarding Pavli's death?

4. What do the narrator and Zorba do on Easter Sunday?

5. What does Demetrios want to show Zorba and the narrator?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Anagnosti say that Pavli is blessed?

2. After the widow's murder, what happens when Zorba and Manolakas meet near the widow's garden?

3. What two major shifts happen to the narrator in Chapter 21? What major realization do these shifts spur in the narrator.

4. Describe the monastery bishop's first theory on religion.

5. When writing letters to Madame Hortense, what does the narrator have to do?

6. What does the narrator state is the reason for Zaharia's death?

7. What story does Zorba tell in Chapter 20 that supports the theme that appearance creates reality?

8. What does Zorba say about women when the narrator reveals that he has proposed to Madame Hortense on his behalf?

9. What is the irony of Zorba comparing himself to Zeus in Chapter 19?

10. In Chapter 16, what did the sleeping workmen do who when they heard Zorba playing his Santuri?

Multiple Choice Answer Key

Short Answer Key

1. Who publicly defends the accused and attempts to break up the mob which seeks justice for Pavli's death?

The narrator.

2. Which character reveals that he had a son who died at the age of three?

Zorba.

3. Who claims the right to pronounce judgment on the widow regarding Pavli's death?

Mavrandoni.

4. What do the narrator and Zorba do on Easter Sunday?

Make a feast for Madame Hortense.

5. What does Demetrios want to show Zorba and the narrator?

His clay nun.

Short Essay Answer Key

1. Why does Anagnosti say that Pavli is blessed?

Pavli commits suicide by drowning, and Anagnosti says that he is blessed because he is free from the object of his desire, the widow. Anagnosti claims that Pavli could not have lived happily with or without her because he had so much passion for her but now he is at peace.

2. After the widow's murder, what happens when Zorba and Manolakas meet near the widow's garden?

Manolakas challenges Zorba to a knife fight after having been beaten previously. Zorba tells him he will fight without weapons. Then the narrator intervenes and talks them down from fighting at all. They end up all drinking together.

3. What two major shifts happen to the narrator in Chapter 21? What major realization do these shifts spur in the narrator.

The narrator finally sleeps with the widow, which Zorba has been encouraging him to do for some time. The narrator also finishes the Buddha Manuscript and with it, has the realization that he has exorcised the Buddha from himself. These two shifts make it clear to the narrator that "the soul is flesh as well," or in other words the actions of his body are just as important and spiritual as the meditating and thinking to which he is accustomed.

4. Describe the monastery bishop's first theory on religion.

He believes that the shape of a flower influences its color and its color then has an influence on its properties which in turn produce a specific effect on humans. He summarizes this theory with the belief that men should be careful when walking through fields of flowers because of the peculiar effects the flowers are having on them.

5. When writing letters to Madame Hortense, what does the narrator have to do?

The narrator must pretend he is Zorba. Therefore, he must take on Zorba's characteristics in his writings while looking for the best in Madame Hortense.

6. What does the narrator state is the reason for Zaharia's death?

The narrator says that Zaharia has fulfilled his main passion and purpose and has therefore accomplished everything that life would ask of him, so he can die.

7. What story does Zorba tell in Chapter 20 that supports the theme that appearance creates reality?

Zorba tells a story in which his grandfather takes a piece of wood, calls it part of the True Cross, and declares that it will protect the soldier to whom he gifts it from all harm in battle. The soldier then becomes a brave and invincible warrior simply because he believes that he has nothing to fear.

8. What does Zorba say about women when the narrator reveals that he has proposed to Madame Hortense on his behalf?

Zorba says that women are delicate creatures and are unable to handle such jokes.

9. What is the irony of Zorba comparing himself to Zeus in Chapter 19?

Zorba says that he is like Zeus in that he sacrifices his own self in order to bring women happiness. This is ironic because Zeus is traditionally considered to be lecherous towards women.

10. In Chapter 16, what did the sleeping workmen do who when they heard Zorba playing his Santuri?

They got up, circled around him and began dancing to the music he played.