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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the job of the older man who talks to Ivanovich about Russia?
(a) Paper manufacturer.
(b) Accountant.
(c) Produce distributor.
(d) Post-office clerk.

2. Including Ivanovich and the Bureau employees, how many people are in the tour group?
(a) 14.
(b) 12.
(c) 10.
(d) 8.

3. Who hosted the charity ball where Ivanovich won the tour?
(a) A German tourism trade group.
(b) The narrator's business.
(c) Russian refugees.
(d) The German government.

4. In the exclamation "How I hate you, our daily!" what technique is being used (13)?
(a) Allusion.
(b) Dialect.
(c) Amplification.
(d) Synesthesia.

5. When the narrator says that the road "undulated," what is being said of this road (12)?
(a) It curves sharply.
(b) It gently rises and falls.
(c) It abruptly ends.
(d) It varies in width.

6. At the inn near the lake, what nationality does Ivanovich believe the innkeeper to be?
(a) Italian.
(b) Russian.
(c) Austrian.
(d) German.

7. What is unusual about the four people who work together?
(a) All of them quit their jobs right before this trip.
(b) They work for the same employer but have never met until this trip.
(c) The men are married to the two women's sisters.
(d) Two have the same last name and two have the same first name.

8. What instrument does one of the men insist on teaching Ivanovich to play?
(a) Balalaika.
(b) Fiddle.
(c) Mandolin.
(d) Ukulele.

9. What does the narrator remember about the time of year in which the story takes place?
(a) It was shortly after the last snow melted.
(b) It was an exceptionally hot summer.
(c) It was damp and cold.
(d) The leaves had begun to turn.

10. What detail of Ivanovich's appearance seems to impress the narrator?
(a) His elegant clothing.
(b) His neatly trimmed hair.
(c) His athletic physique.
(d) His healthy complexion.

11. On page 19, to what does the narrator compare Ivanovich's return journey, away from the lake?
(a) A "sinister game."
(b) A "cruel, demeaning prank."
(c) A "hideous fairy tale."
(d) A "soul-shattering nightmare."

12. In the phrase "several people, alas, were taking part in the excursion," what is the word "alas" meant to convey (4)?
(a) Ivanovich's preference to do things on his own.
(b) Ivanovich's concern that the train will be overcrowded.
(c) The narrator's belief that travel is unnecessary.
(d) The narrator's belief that the excursion will be dull.

13. What is Ivanovich expected to carry during the second day of the tour?
(a) Bread.
(b) Sausage.
(c) His own boots.
(d) An extra rucksack.

14. In the description of the "mother-of-pearl claws on his dirty toes," what is the man with whom Ivanovich spends the night being compared to (12)?
(a) A laborer.
(b) An animal.
(c) A statue.
(d) A hidden gem.

15. When the man tells stories about his "philanderings," what is he talking about (5)?
(a) Stamp collecting.
(b) Donations to charity.
(c) Casual sexual relationships.
(d) Getting very drunk with friends.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is Ivanovich told he will need to get a "certificate of non-absence from the city for the summertime" (3)?

2. Which character is said to have "lustreless eyes and a vague velvety vileness" (6)?

3. What is the tour group doing in the passage that says "they raised dust along a highway" (12)?

4. What does Ivanovich think "must be oriented toward something or someone" (4)?

5. Who wrote the book that Ivanovich opens on the train?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 541 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample