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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 many Crusades passed through Byzantium on the way to the Holy Land?

2. Where did the Ottoman Turks originally come from?

3. To which American writer did Balakian send his poems while at Bucknell College?

4. Where were Balakian and his father when the young woman spoke to the father about leaving her abusive husband?

5. What college did Balakian's father say was "better than its name"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Balakian's school term paper on Turkey mark a turning point in his relationship with his father?

2. In what way was Balakian's attachment to the Jewish families in his first neighborhood ultimately superficial, and could it have been deeper?

3. How did Balakian's memorial poem for his grandmother reflect his Armenian past?

4. How did Balakian's family's attachment to food reflect their ancestors' history?

5. Describe the impact poetry had on Balakian during high school and how it connected to his family's silence about the genocide.

6. How did Balakian's mother's behavior at the restaurant in France reflect her cultured upbringing?

7. Why were books so important to Balakian's Aunt Nona?

8. Why was Balakian so unnerved by his grandmother's constant doting on him at family gatherings?

9. How did Balakian react to seeing his father perform emergency medical care to the heart attack victim at the football game?

10. Describe Balakian' s father.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Peter's Aunt Anna was convinced that surrealism was the only legitimate form of writing because it represented the only legitimate way of responding to human events. How did her experiences in the Armenian genocide influence her feelings? Could surrealism be a healthy response to horrific events? Did the surrealism admired by Anna provide her with a health way of processing her emotions? Can surrealism speak to horrific historical events? Or does it serve to obscure the past and make it more difficult for people to come to terms with their sufferings? Are there some events that are so horrific they must be remembered with straightforward descriptions in order to teach future generations?

Essay Topic 2

Balakian wrote about his father's love of sports and how that formed a bridge between the two. Write an essay exploring how sports can form a bond between fathers and sons. How can fathers and sons express their love for one another through a shared interest in sports? Was Peter's father able to express his love for his son in any other way? Did Peter understand that his father was expressing his love for him through sports while he was still a child? Or did he not realize that until he reached adulthood? If he did not understand it until adulthood, did that affect his relationship with his father in childhood?

Essay Topic 3

Balakian's grandfather Diran was a physician who served during the genocide and was required at times to treat Turkish soldiers. He did so knowing that many of these soldiers were likely to return to the front to kill more Armenians. Write an essay exploring how he was able to deal with this situation. Did knowing what these men were doing impact his ability to follow the Hippocratic Oath? Why did he treat the Turkish soldiers?

(see the answer keys)

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