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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. What object does Dr. Olin recall “collapsing upon itself in an October field in the New England dusk” “as the loneliest thing he’d ever seen,” according to the narrator in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 4?

2. Why is the traveler advised against hiring a car to take him from the city to his destination in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 1?

3. What word from Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3 refers to the condition in which sexual gratification depends on causing pain or degradation to others?

4. How long is the retreat to last, according to Dr. Stern in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3?

5. Who was the Governor General of Occupied Poland that confiscated the portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, according to the traveler in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. How has the group dynamic evolved when the narrative returns to the present tense in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 5?

2. What confrontation takes place between Earwig and Olin outside the crematorium in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 4?

3. How does the narrator describe Dr. Olin’s professional objectives at the retreat in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3?

4. What symbolic items did Olin’s grandfather bring with him to the New World, according to the narrator in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 5? Why?

5. How is the setting of Kasmierz described in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 1?

6. What central tensions are established in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 1? Why are these conflicts important?

7. Where does Dr. Stern say most of the retreat attendees have come from in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3?

8. What does Olin point out about the history of Oswiecim in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 2?

9. How was the birth of Clements Olinski discovered by the Olinskis, according to the narrator in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 5?

10. What is taking place when Mr. Earwig initiates a conflict in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Rainer in the novel. What is the significance of Rainer’s story about his uncle? How does Rainer perceive the history of the Germans? How does Rainer differ in his perceptions of history and culpability from the other characters at the retreat?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of Dr. Clements Olin as the protagonist of In Paradise. How old is Dr. Olin? What characteristics does he exhibit in the novel? What are Dr. Olin’s objectives in attending the retreat at Auschwitz?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, Young Woman with Ermine. What happened to this painting during World War II? Where was it discovered? When was the painting returned to Cracow? What does this painting symbolize to Clements Olin in the novel?

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This section contains 950 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample