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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. What do Grandfather, Alex, and Jonathan have for dinner after they leave Lista?
(a) They eat sausage.
(b) They eat nothing.
(c) They eat salad.
(d) They eat peanuts.

2. According to the old woman, what does Trachimbrod look like now?
(a) It looks like any other field.
(b) It is empty.
(c) It has been rebuilt and doesn't look at all like it did before.
(d) It is crumbling.

3. At the end of "The Dial, 1941-1804-1941," Brod tells Kolker that she loves him and "for the first time in her life, the words had meaning" (139). Why do the words have meaning now?
(a) The Kolker has given her a baby.
(b) The Kolker is dying.
(c) The Kolker has given her perfume.
(d) The Kolker told her the truth about her father.

4. "The Dial, 1941-1804-1941" goes back and forth between two stories. Who are the two stories about?
(a) Safran and Zosha.
(b) Yankel and Brod.
(c) Alex and Little Igor.
(d) Jonathan's grandfather and Brod.

5. What does Grandfather say to the woman they meet in "Falling in Love" that is out of character?
(a) "You are a liar."
(b) "You are brave."
(c) "You are stupid."
(d) "You are very beautiful."

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does everyone read from the Book of Antecedents?

2. What does Alex's father do that makes Alex mad?

3. Who is Alex referring to when he says, "it is as if after surviving so much, there was no longer a reason to survive" (143)?

4. Who did Grandfather "murder?"

5. What is the relationship between Alex and Jonathan in "Letter Dated 12 December 1992"?

Short Essay Questions

1. "Letter Dated 17 November 1997" revolves around the theme of forgiveness. Give at least one example of who needs to be granted forgiveness and the reason.

2. After reading "What We Saw When We Saw Trachimbrod, or Falling in Love," the reader might suspect that Lista was a character in her own story. Who might she be? How do you know? Why do this?

3. Alex has changed throughout the novel. Identify how he has changed by the time he writes "Letter Dated 24 December 1997." What do you think brought about the change?

4. Why does Alex send back the money that Jonathan sent him? Why is he angry?

5. The old woman tells that she must live near Trachimbrod as "punishment" (189). According to her, what is she being punished for? What does this mean to you?

6. Safran muses "the more you love someone . . . the harder it is to tell them" (234). What is he referencing? Is this true? Why?

7. How does Alex feel about the truth in "Letter Dated 12 December 1997?"

8. With everything that has happened to Jonathan, Alex, and Grandfather, even Grandfather goes through some significant changes. In "An Overture to Illumination," Grandfather makes the waitress apologize to Jonathan. Why? What is different about Grandfather? How and why has he changed?

9. Why does Grandfather ask Alex for money and what does Alex say in return? Will Alex give him the money?

10. What does Jonathan tell Alex about his grandmother while waiting for Grandfather and the old woman? What do Jonathan and his grandmother have in common?

(see the answer keys)

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