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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. In what theatre does Maryna normally perform?
(a) The Imperial Theatre of Warsaw.
(b) The Majestic Theatre of Paris.
(c) The Krakow Theatre of Poland.
(d) The Orpheum Theatre of Rome.

2. What does Maryna declare at the end of Chapter One?
(a) "I am hungry and confused."
(b) "I am too old to be a good actress any longer."
(c) "I yearn for a better life."
(d) "I am muddleheaded and tired of acting."

3. Who is Jozefina?
(a) Maryna's widowed sister.
(b) Bogdan's aunt.
(c) Maryna's stage assistant.
(d) Maryna's servant and housekeeper.

4. What does Maryna realize about her ex-husband?
(a) She was still in love with him.
(b) She pitied him.
(c) She hated him.
(d) She was finally free of him.

5. When do Ryszard and Julian leave for America?
(a) Mid October.
(b) Early September.
(c) Late June.
(d) Late January.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who ministers to the sick in the village at no charge all summer?

2. What character in Middlemarch does the narrator compare to Maryna?

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

4. What Shakespearean play is Maryna reciting at dinner?

5. Who erected the Centennial Fountain?

Short Essay Questions

1. While Maryna and her husband are busy selling their house and preparing to leave for America, a member of Maryna's family dies. Who is this person, and why is the death so upsetting for Maryna? Who else is present at the death? Where does Maryna go after the death?

2. 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?

3. The group establishes their first commune in Zakopane. What are some of the activities described in the chapter necessary to sustain their community? What do they do in the town for the local community?

4. On his passage to America, Ryszard spends time listening to English speaking passengers. He meets many Americans. How does he describe the American attitude about their country? How does this differ from the way Ryszard sees himself as a Pole?

5. Maryna prepares for her departure from the stage. What engagements does she cancel, and what do the critics say about this? Why has she chosen Zakopane, and who has she asked to accompany her there?

6. While finishing his article on the transatlantic journey, Ryszard goes to Caste Clinton to see how the steerage passengers are experiencing their introduction to their new home. What does he see there? Why is this important?

7. Maryna relates the story of her childhood to various people in Chapter One. Discuss her childhood and the influences on her life.

8. 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?

9. 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?

10. In Chapter Zero, the narrator gives us a picture of Maryna by quoting her saying "we must always ask more of ourselves." What conclusions does the narrator draw from this statement and Maryna's behavior at the party?

(see the answer keys)

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