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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. What is described in Book 5: "An Announcement" as "one of the most intricate and purposeful constructions ever manufactured by man"?

2. What does the Count borrow from Anna in Book 3: "Ascending, Alighting"?

3. Who comes to warn the Count that the Bishop is on his way to his room in Book 4: "1953: Apostles and Apostates"?

4. What does the interior artist surmise "a room is the summation of" in Book 4: "1950: Adagio, Andante, Allegro"?

5. Whose work will Sofia be performing with the orchestra of the Moscow Conservatory in Paris in Book 5: "1954: Applause and Acclaim"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Osip Ivanovich Glebnikov come to speak with the Count in Book 3: “An Alliance”?

2. Why is Mishka exiled? What sentence does he receive?

3. Why does the Count borrow Anna's suitcases in Book 3: “Ascending, Alighting”?

4. What oversights does the Count made during his first lunch with Sofia in Book 3: “Adjustments”?

5. Who arrives with an offer for Sofia in Book 4: “1953: Apostles and Apostates”? What becomes of this situation?

6. How has the process of taking orders changed at the Boyarsky in Book 4: “1953: Apostles and Apostates”?

7. How is Sofia's performance in the school competition described in Book 4: “1953: Apostles and Apostates”?

8. Why does the Count meet with Pudgy Webster in Book 5: “Arrivederci”?

9. What "game" does Sofia play with the Count, as described in Book 3: “Antics, Antitheses, an Accident”?

10. Why does the Count become upset when he first finds Sofia and Viktor in the ballroom in Book 4: “1950: Adagio, Andante, Allegro”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the political and social changes in Russia between 1930 and 1940. How did the onset of World War II impact Russia? How does the author demonstrate these changes in A Gentleman in Moscow? How do the changes impact the characters in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of irony in A Gentleman in Moscow. How does the author employ irony for humorous effect in the novel? How is irony employed to develop suspense? What types of irony are seen in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the Count's relationship with Anna Urbanova in A Gentleman in Moscow. When and where do they meet? What is the nature of their relationship? How does their relationship change and evolve in the course of the story?

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