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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Pahom's wife say may happen to a man in town?
(a) He may be the victim of crime.
(b) He may be tempted by the devil.
(c) He may become lazy.
(d) He may die of stress.

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

3. What does the expression "racked his brains" mean?
(a) Felt very sad.
(b) Organized his thoughts.
(c) Searched hard for an answer.
(d) Stared into space without thinking.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. The story opens with two sisters. What does the older sister's husband do for a living?

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

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

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Pahom is most angry at the neighbor who has cut down his trees because whoever it was did not just take one or two trees but instead cut down a whole clump of trees. Why does this make Pahom angry, and what is ironic about his anger?

2. What prevents the peasants from buying the nearby landowner's land as a group instead of as individuals?

3. In what two ways is Pahom's first decision to buy land different from his later decisions?

4. When the devil overhears Pahom's thoughts, what does he vow to do?

5. What sequence of events with Simon follows Pahom's discovery of the stripped trees?

6. How does Pahom's relationship with his community change, and what are two specific pieces of evidence for this change?

7. In Chapter I, what is ironic about where Pahom is while he listens to his wife and her sister talk?

8. What sacrifices do Pahom and his family make for the first plot of land that they buy?

9. In Chapter I, what is ironic about the conversation between the two sisters?

10. What changes the relationship between the woman who owns land near the village and the peasants, and how does the relationship change?

(see the answer keys)

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