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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. In “What We Cannot Hear,” Sonya is forced into an army jeep one morning in what month?

2. When an army jeep pulls up into Central Square, what does the Seargeant inside tell the crowd to do?

3. How does “A Dog Sniffs” begin?

4. To whom does Alfonso thank for the deafness of the townspeople?

5. In “A Cigarette,” the speaker tells the reader to watch and see how the townspeople of Vasenka do not realize that they are proof of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. In “While the Child Sleeps, Sonya Undresses,” what does Sonya say about Alfonso’ appearance?

2. In “As Soldiers March, Alfonso Covers the Boy’s Face with a Newspaper,” how does Sonya react to her cousin’s murder?

3. In “4 a.m. Bombardment,” as the morning begins and the town comes to life what are the soldiers doing? What is Alfonso doing?

4. What does the speaker say in “For His Wife”?

5. In “The Townspeople Circle the Boy’s Body,” what do the townspeople do to protect Petya’s body?

6. In "Dramatis Personae," the speaker describes the characters that will be found in the poem. Who are two of the characters, and how are they described?

7. What does Alfonso say about his and his wife’s bathing ritual?

8. In “We Lived Happily during the War,” the speaker says what happened when homes were bombed?

9. What does the speaker say in “A Cigarette” about the townspeople?

10. What takes place in “Soldiers Aim at Us?”

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Anushka is taken from Momma Galya towards the end of the story. What might have been her fate? Why do you believe this? How might details in this book support your response?

Essay Topic 2

In less than a year the lives of the Vasenka townspeople are turned upside down. Sonya is taken from her baby and murdered three days postpartum. What is the impact of this quick decline in the town of Vasenka on the reader? What does this say about one's own safety and security? What does this also reveal about what humans are capable of doing to other humans?

Essay Topic 3

The poet calls the puppeteers who murder the soldiers "beautiful women of Vasenka." What does the poet mean by this? How are they beautiful? Are their actions beautiful? Why or why not?

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