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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which character is said to have "lustreless eyes and a vague velvety vileness" (6)?
(a) The widow.
(b) Greta.
(c) Schramm.
(d) Schultz.

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

3. What "fancy-style" item does Ivanovich buy for his trip (3)?
(a) A walking stick.
(b) A pair of hiking boots.
(c) A flannel shirt.
(d) An enormous backpack.

4. What detail is the narrator uncertain if he is remembering correctly?
(a) The source of the tour tickets.
(b) The time of day the tour departed.
(c) The destination of the tour.
(d) Ivanovich's name.

5. How does the text's language change when the group gets off the train at the last stop on the first day?
(a) The language becomes more conversational.
(b) The language becomes more lyrical.
(c) The language becomes more grandiloquent.
(d) The language becomes more circuitous.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word does the narrator say describes the appearance of "all creatures still unknown to us" (4)?

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

3. After dinner, what do the other tour members insist that Ivanovich do?

4. When the narrator says that the road "undulated," what is being said of this road (12)?

5. On page 19, to what does the narrator compare Ivanovich's return journey, away from the lake?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Schramm and what function does he serve on the trip?

2. On the third day of the tour, what does Ivanovich see that makes him feel the happiness he dreamed he might find on the trip?

3. What happens when Ivanovich declares that he will stay at the lake instead of returning to Berlin?

4. What does Ivanovich do as soon as he sits down in the train on the first morning of the trip, and what is the group's reaction?

5. On the second day of the tour, what is Ivanovich doing from early morning until early evening?

6. With whom does Ivanovich spend the first night, and how does this person keep Ivanovich awake?

7. What is the difference between the narrative descriptions of people and of nature in this story?

8. What does Ivanovich do at each of the train stations on the first day of the trip, and what does this show about his character?

9. How does Ivanovich end up going on a tour that he does not want to go on?

10. Why is it such a relief to Ivanovich when the tour group finally stops for the night at an inn?

(see the answer keys)

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