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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the introduction, Zweig says his depiction of Kekesfalva's early life and the discrimination he felt is based on what?
(a) It is based on the experience of Eastern Jews.
(b) It is based on his own experience.
(c) It is based on his parents' experience.
(d) It is based on the experiences of characters in his favorite novels.

2. What does Hofmiller think to himself about his decision not to gallop the horses?
(a) He worries that his men aren't being properly trained.
(b) He feels proud of himself for showing such a degree of respect for Edith.
(c) He realizes that it is foolish to deny oneself a pleasure just because someone else could not enjoy it.
(d) He is afraid he'll get into trouble with his superiors for going too slowly.

3. What does his decision to trot instead of gallop make Hofmiller realize about himself?
(a) He has lost the respect of his men.
(b) He loves Edith and wants to marry her.
(c) Edith's condition makes it impossible for him to respect her.
(d) He is undergoing a profound change as a result of his pity for Edith.

4. Why does Edith keep secret pictures of dancers?
(a) She sells them to make extra money.
(b) She loved dancing before her accident.
(c) She hopes to become an artist.
(d) Her father doesn't approve of the pictures, so she keeps them hidden.

5. Sitting in the café alone after buying Dietzenhof's property, how did Kekesfalva decide to handle his guilt over tricking her?
(a) He decided to go to church and make a confession.
(b) He decided he'd give her the opportunity to take it back.
(c) He decided that guilt is a useless emotion and refused to let it consume him.
(d) He decided to sell it immediately and give her half the money.

6. How does Hofmiller perceive Edith after their first two meetings?
(a) He sees her as an invalid who needs to be comforted and protected.
(b) He is immediately attracted to her and wants to court her.
(c) He finds her dull and boring.
(d) He thinks she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.

7. When Kekesfalva apologizes for his daughter's rude behavior, how does he describe Edith when she was a child?
(a) She was shy and quiet.
(b) He didn't know her as a small child because she was adopted at a later age.
(c) She was handicapped from birth.
(d) She was energetic and constantly moving, to the point of being reckless.

8. When talking about Edith's condition over dinner at the castle, what question does Dr. Condor ask that causes Kekesfalva to become upset and defensive?
(a) He asks if it's possible that the servants have been mistreating Edith.
(b) He says that Kekesfalva has not paid his most recent bill and asks when he can expect payment.
(c) He asks whether Kekesfalva has called in another doctor to work with Edith.
(d) He asks Kekesfalva if he trusts his diagnosis of Edith's case.

9. Why does Hofmiller try to keep his two worlds - his life in the military and his relationship with the Kekesfalva family - separate from each other?
(a) He thinks they don't fit together.
(b) He doesn't want his friends to build a relationship with the family and become his rival for their affections.
(c) Kekesfalva asks him to keep the relationship a secret.
(d) He thinks Kekesfalva will think less of him if he realizes that he is a low-ranking officer in the military.

10. Why does Hofmiller go to Kekesfalva's home three days before the date of his dinner invitation?
(a) He hopes to see Kekesfalva's niece again.
(b) He gets the date wrong.
(c) He wants to be certain he knows how to get there.
(d) It is considered polite and proper to go early and express his gratitude for the invitation.

11. What does Hofmiller say is the most startling thing that happens to him the night of his conversation with Dr. Condor?
(a) Kekesfalva's offer of money in return for the information he'd gotten from Dr. Condor.
(b) The great flash of lightening that hit just as he is leaving Kekesfalva.
(c) Kekesfalva's display of gratitude.
(d) He was most startled to find Edith waiting for him in his barracks.

12. How does Hofmiller feel after learning about Kekesfalva's past?
(a) He is anxious to share the information with his friends because it will increase their esteem for him.
(b) He is appalled to learn that his friend had been so deceitful as a young man.
(c) He is bored and not very interested in learning more about Kekesfalva.
(d) He is ashamed that he has never asked Kekesfalva about his background and how he had acquired his wealth.

13. After Kekesfalva speaks privately to Hofmiller about talking to Dr. Condor, what is Edith's mood when the two men return to the house?
(a) She is cheerful and happy that Hofmiller has come for dinner.
(b) She is excited that Hofmiller is going to ask Dr. Condor about her prospects for improvement.
(c) She is angry and demands to know what they've been discussing.
(d) She seems to suspect that they've been talking about her, and she's quiet and moody for the rest of the evening.

14. How did Dietzenhof change after marrying Kekesfalva?
(a) She blossomed and even developed physical beauty.
(b) She became resentful about being tricked into sharing her wealth.
(c) She became bitter and cruel.
(d) She resented Kekesfalva because he treated her so poorly.

15. How does Edith react when Josef, the butler, comes to take her for her exercises?
(a) She flies into a rage and insists on walking by herself although it's very difficult.
(b) She refuses to go with him.
(c) She insists that a wheelchair be brought.
(d) She asks Hofmiller to go with her and help with the exercises.

Short Answer Questions

1. While riding a train one night, Kekesfalva overheard a conversation about Princess Orosvar. What had her lifestyle been like during the last years of her life?

2. What is Hofmiller most afraid of when he realizes his blunder in asking Edith to dance?

3. According to the book's introduction by Joan Acocella, why was the author, Stefan Zweig, so interested in the inner workings of the human mind?

4. What does Hofmiller find when he arrives back at his barracks after his first meeting with Dr. Condor?

5. How does Hofmiller react when he sees Ilona in the street after taking a night away from the family to play cards with his friends?

(see the answer keys)

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