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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. With what form of comfort does Kunicki console himself after the disappearance of his wife and child?

2. The narrator urges the reader to write at least one sentence on which platform?

3. The philosopher revered by one of the novel's pilgrims at one point observes and interprets what sight?

4. How many of the first vignettes focus on the narrator's motivations for writing?

5. The narrator enjoys the idea of performing what activity as a moral obligation to one's people?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Blau's feelings about the discipline of medicine.

2. How is personification used to underscore the deep love Blau has for the study of anatomy?

3. Discuss an instance of Tokarczuk employing satire in order to poke fun at a particular group.

4. To what advice does the title "Guidance from Cioran" refer?

5. What is the message contained within the vignette entitled "Travel Sizes"?

6. What discordant image is at the center of the vignette entitled "Cleopatras"?

7. What coping mechanism does Kunicki primarily use to deal with the stress of his missing wife and son?

8. How is repetition used within the story about Kunicki and for what purpose?

9. According to the unnamed narrator, what is possibly "the greatest wonder of the world" (72) and why?

10. What method does the narrator prefer when dealing with locations in which she has been hurt?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of Flights and analyze Tokarczuk’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 2

Look carefully at the passages of Flights that use allusion. What is Tokarczuk’s purpose for using a particular category of allusions with Flights and how does the use of allusion support the text’s goals?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Tokarczuk’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of Flights.

(see the answer keys)

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