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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. When Yakov responds by pointing out something in the officials' book that he thinks resembles the prosecutor, how does the official respond?

2. With nothing to do in his cell, Yakov pieces together bits of something that he recites in his cell. What does he piece together?

3. As Yakov runs around his cell screaming, who finally tells him to shut up?

4. When Nikolai offers Yakov another position after Yakov fixes up the apartment, what is the position that Nikolai offers to Yakov?

5. What is Yakov given in order that he can have something to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't Yakov want the authorities to win if he should happen to die a "nameless Jew"?

2. When Yakov sees Bibikov in one of his visions, what does Yakov imagine telling Bibikov?

3. When Yakov reaches the river, the boatman has to convince Yakov to accept the ferry ride. How does the boatman convince Yakov?

4. As Yakov shivers in his cell in deepest despair, how does he view himself in relationship to the Tsar?

5. When Yakov is returned to prison and then meets with the prosecutor, the prosecutor offers him a lighter sentence in return for what?

6. Why does Marfa accuse Yakov of running a smuggling trade route?

7. Looking back on his marriage to Raisl, why does Yakov now believe that it was a mistake to marry Raisl?

8. Explain Bibikov's theory regarding Zhenia's murder.

9. As spring continues on, Yakov is no longer allowed to make his trips to the kitchen. Why?

10. According to the boatman who ferries Yakov across the river, how could all of Russia's problems be solved?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the warden with the deputy warden.

a. How are the two characters similar in terms of their professional lives? How are they different?

b. How are the two characters similar in their personality characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses? How are they different?

c. Only one of these characters survives the story. Is the deputy warden's death a result of his own doing or a result of dumb luck? Is the warden's survival a result of his own doing or a result of dumb luck? Support your reasoning for both.

d. Looking forward, how might Yakov's incarceration and subsequent trial have affected each of these men as they moved forward with their lives? Would they be similarly affected or not? Explain your answers and your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

After arriving at the cave, both Bibikov and the colonel see roads leading away from the cave. Describe each of these roads and the reaction of each of these two characters upon seeing the roads. Then, compare and contrast these two characters using their reactions as the starting point for a larger discussion about how these two characters are different.

Essay Topic 3

The book is entitled, "The Fixer". Why does the author choose this title? How does the title foreshadow the struggles Yakov faces, the overarching political climate, and the determination of Yakov to keep busy while incarcerated?

(see the answer keys)

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