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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which character thinks that "Busy as we are from childhood tilling Mother Earth, we peasants have no time to let any nonsense settle in our heads"?
(a) Pahom's wife.
(b) Pahom's sister-in-law.
(c) Pahom.
(d) Simon.

2. Which character says that "Loss and gain are brothers twain"?
(a) Pahom's sister-in-law.
(b) The local landowner.
(c) Pahom.
(d) Pahom's wife.

3. What does Pahom do when the court rules against him?
(a) He tries to appeal the case.
(b) He strips someone else's trees in revenge.
(c) He accuses the judges of taking bribes.
(d) He quits the commune in protest.

4. How does Pahom's wife defend their life to her sister?
(a) She says that their life is steady and safe.
(b) She says that someday Pahom will make them rich.
(c) She says that living in the countryside is more moral.
(d) She says that their life is quiet and ordinary.

5. What does the older sister brag about?
(a) Her comfortable life.
(b) Her loyal husband.
(c) Her housekeeping skill.
(d) Her clever children.

6. In which situation might someone "grease your palm"?
(a) If you were getting ready to do manual labor.
(b) If you were trying to do something you had never done before.
(c) If you were judging a contest they were in.
(d) If you were asking to have them predict your future.

7. What is Pahom's first reaction when he learns that people are moving to a new settlement?
(a) He worries that there will not be enough workers for his land.
(b) He tries to get their share of the commune lands.
(c) He thinks that maybe he can buy their land.
(d) He wants to sell his land and move.

8. The story opens with two sisters. What does the older sister's husband do for a living?
(a) He is an innkeeper.
(b) He is a tradesman.
(c) He is a farmer.
(d) He is a commune leader.

9. Where is Pahom when his wife and her sister are talking?
(a) Lying on the stove.
(b) Resting in his cot.
(c) Working in the field.
(d) Bringing in loads of wood.

10. Who calls Pahom's land a "narrow hole"?
(a) Pahom's wife.
(b) Pahom's sister-in-law.
(c) Pahom.
(d) The stranger who stays overnight at Pahom's house.

11. What does the stranger staying at Pahom's house overnight tell Pahom?
(a) Life in the countryside is difficult but secure.
(b) That people in the new settlement beyond the Volga are making good money.
(c) Life in town is very risky.
(d) The Bashkir are selling land very cheaply.

12. How many acres does Pahom buy in his first land purchase?
(a) 40.
(b) 13,000.
(c) 300.
(d) 1,300.

13. What is Pahom's reaction to the trouble with the steward?
(a) He takes his anger out on his family.
(b) He insists that the family move to a new settlement.
(c) He refuses to have any more dealings with the man.
(d) He takes the steward to court.

14. What agreement does Pahom come to with the landowner?
(a) He will pay for half of the land up front and half within two years.
(b) He will pay for the land over the next ten years, one-tenth at a time.
(c) He will pay less for the land because he can pay for it all in advance.
(d) He will work for her until the land is paid for.

15. When the younger sister is "piqued," what is she feeling?
(a) Curious.
(b) Tired.
(c) Angry.
(d) Cautious.

Short Answer Questions

1. What problem does the new steward create for the local peasants?

2. What reaction do the peasants have when they hear rumors about the sale of the land?

3. How many acres does the local landowner have?

4. Why does Pahom end up taking his neighbors to court?

5. What bothers Pahom the most about the stripping of bark from his trees?

(see the answer keys)

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