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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. In "How We Survived Communism", what did both Slavenka and Vesna's mother like about foreign products?

2. In 1987, what did Castro limit the ownership of?

3. In "A Letter from the United States...", what symbol represented freedom to Slavenka?

4. When Zagreb's facade was improved, what concerned Slavenka?

5. What was Slavenka's mother able to recite at the midnight mass?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Tito's death significant?

2. In "Some Doubt about Fur Coats", why did Slavenka feel guilty about wearing a fur coat?

3. Why was Slavenka concerned at the rapid rate at which the European cities freed from Communism were remodeled?

4. Why did charity not exist under socialism?

5. In "The Day They Say That War Will Begin", why were the shelves in many stores bare?

6. What struck Slavenka as unusual, regarding the election in Sagreb, Croatia?

7. In "Some Doubt about Fur Coats", what happened to a girl wearing a mink coat in Beograd?

8. Why did Slavenka hold up sanitary napkins and tampons during a speech?

9. In "The Day They Say That War Will Begin", how did Slavenka come to terms with the idea of the impending war?

10. What items had Vesna's mother been known to collect?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although many of the women in the book were married, they were not in happy relationships. Write an essay supporting or refuting the following statement, citing examples from the text: Many of Slavenka's friends were unhappy in their relationship due to the inequality between men and women.

Essay Topic 2

Although Slavenka was somewhat of an environmentalist, she balked at government control in this area. Write an essay examining her stance on the government's involvement in the environment. Analyze why she feels the way she does about the topic, citing examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Due to Slavenka's work as a journalist, the state assigned her a Censor. Write an essay examining:

1) The nature of Slavenka's work.

2) The purpose of the Censor.

3) Whether or not the Censor affected Slavenka's work.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 611 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample