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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. At the celebration party, what language is being spoken by the guests?
(a) Chinese.
(b) Swedish.
(c) Russian.
(d) Polish.

2. Who cooks the meals in the commune?
(a) Wanda Solski.
(b) Maryna.
(c) Mrs. Bachleda.
(d) Bogdan.

3. What does Henryk teach Piotr when he comes to visit?
(a) Darwinism/evolution.
(b) How to shoot a gun.
(c) How to bandage a dog's paw.
(d) How to bake a cake.

4. What is Wanda's reason for going to California?
(a) Because she is tired of Poland.
(b) Because her husband wants to go.
(c) Because she wants a new life.
(d) Because Maryna has asked her to go.

5. Who is called a "national symbol?"
(a) Bogdan.
(b) Stalin.
(c) Maryna.
(d) Churchill.

Short Answer Questions

1. When is the story set?

2. In what theatre does Maryna normally perform?

3. What was the name of one of the articles Ryszard sent to the Gazetta Polska?

4. Who does the dinner conversation center around?

5. What do the Countess, Bogdan, and Maryna drink on their farewell visit?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter One, what scene does Maryna give Krystyna to act out? Why?

2. Who does Maryna see in Bremen? What is the purpose of their meeting? How does Maryna feel at the end of the meeting?

3. What are some of the toasts given at the celebration dinner table? To whom are they directed? What is Bogdan's toast about? Maryna's?

4. While he is in the steerage section of the ship, Ryszard is brought by a deckhand to meet a bedraggled man. This man offers his niece, Nora, to Ryszard. What kinds of emotions does Ryszard have while below the ship in steerage? How does this experience change him?

5. As the story opens, the narrator describes the room in which people are conversing and drinking. Who are these people? How does the narrator know them?

6. The first of the immigrants to leave, Julian and Ryszard travel together to America. What is Ryszard anticipating for the trip? What kind of man does he hope to be when he lands in America?

7. While hiding at the celebration party, the narrator pieces together the people in the room and the subject of their discussions. What does she gather about the people in the room and the plan underway?

8. In Chapter Zero, from whose voice is the story told? Who is the narrator? What does the narrator reveal about herself?

9. Henryk's farewell gift to Maryna when she leaves for America is a book. What is the title of the book, and what is Maryna's response to the book?

10. After her performance in Chapter One, Maryna dresses and is accompanied by Bogdan to the Hotel Saski. Why are they going to the Saski? What are they celebrating? Where is the narrator?

(see the answer keys)

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