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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which character thinks "I'll give you land enough; and by means of that land I will get you into my power"?
(a) The devil.
(b) The local landowner.
(c) Pahom's brother-in-law.
(d) Simon.

2. How far does Pahom walk in order to get to the new settlement?
(a) 300 miles.
(b) 3 miles.
(c) 30 miles.
(d) 130 miles.

3. When Pahom feels "aggrieved," what is he feeling?
(a) So angry he cannot think clearly.
(b) Greedy.
(c) As if someone has harmed him.
(d) Sad for something he has lost.

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

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

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

7. How many acres does the local landowner have?
(a) 40.
(b) 300.
(c) 1,300.
(d) 13,000.

8. Who is the first person that the local landowner offers to sell her land to?
(a) Pahom.
(b) Simon.
(c) The leader of the commune.
(d) The innkeeper.

9. What problem does the new steward create for the local peasants?
(a) He demands payment of the peasants' outstanding loans.
(b) He fines them when their animals trespass on his employer's land.
(c) He does not supervise his cattle properly.
(d) He refuses to sell seed to those who do not own their own land.

10. While the sisters talk, who is hiding behind the oven?
(a) Pahom's brother-in-law.
(b) Simon.
(c) The devil.
(d) The innkeeper.

11. 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 sister-in-law.
(b) Simon.
(c) Pahom.
(d) Pahom's wife.

12. 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.

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

14. What reaction do the peasants have when they hear rumors about the sale of the land?
(a) They beg the woman not to sell her land.
(b) They celebrate, because they do not like the landowner.
(c) They decide that they need to buy it themselves.
(d) They go to court to try to add the land to the commune.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. When the younger sister is "piqued," what is she feeling?

2. What does the expression "racked his brains" mean?

3. What does the stranger staying at Pahom's house overnight tell Pahom?

4. In which situation might someone "grease your palm"?

5. What does the older sister brag about?

(see the answer keys)

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