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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 narrator describes the nocturnal brain using an allusion to which mythological figure?

2. Annushka begins taking what form of transport ceaselessly throughout each day?

3. The narrator tells the reader that what location is a good place to practice her favorite skill?

4. What service does the woman with the red suitcase perform for her ex-lover when she visits him?

5. In what liquid is Verheyen's amputated body part preserved?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tokarczuk present the theme of being present within the vignette entitled “Irkutsk-Moscow”?

2. In what way does the unnamed narrator show an affinity for secrecy?

3. Discuss the unnamed narrator's feelings about languages and secrecy.

4. What elements does the unnamed narrator consider when deciding whether a story or a lecture is more appropriate for the story she has to tell?

5. How is the theme of oppression featured within the vignettes about James Cook?

6. How is the theme of ethnocentrism depicted within the vignettes focusing on James Cook?

7. Discuss how the motif of dreams appears within the unnamed narrator's vignettes.

8. What country does the unnamed narrator say is the perfect place for observing people and why?

9. What had the woman in rags been mumbling to Annushka when Annushka became frightened?

10. How does Tokarczuk use postcards as a symbol?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of appearance versus reality within Flights. What is Tokarczuk’s message regarding appearances versus the nature of reality and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Tokarczuk's choice to tell the story of Flights using a great deal of first-person narration. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what are Tokarczuk’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Write a critical essay about Flights while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the novel.

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