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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. The vignettes mentioning Menchu focuses on what type of ruler?

2. A character with what name believes that every human should write a book?

3. What book does Erik read again and again while he is in prison?

4. What emotion does Dr. Blau see when he looks into the man's eyes who also hopes to discover preservation secrets?

5. How is Dr. Blau's talk about silicone plastination received by his audience?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What conclusions does the narrator draw about islands and why?

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

5. Since childhood, what sight has filled Blau with a feeling of happiness and fulfillment?

6. What type of metaphor does Tokarczuk use to describe the river near her childhood home and why?

7. What is ironic about Blau's "unproblematic" (133) romantic life prior to his marriage?

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

9. How is the theme of violence present within the story about the sultan?

10. How does the unnamed narrator feel about islands and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of Kunicki's character within the novel? Discuss the characterization methods used by Tokarczuk in depicting Kuncki and his family and include in your discussion the reasons that Tokarczuk portrays the characters in these particular ways.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Sensory details are used frequently by Tokarczuk in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative of Flights. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details utilized serve Tokarczuk’s creation of vivid characters to populate the narrative.

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This section contains 870 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample