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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 river does the narrator describe the road following “westward across the frozen landscape” in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 2?

2. What is the Brick Gothic church that was “destroyed in the thirteenth century by Asian Tatars” and rebuilt in the fourteenth century, according to the narrator in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 1?

3. Where was chemist and writer Primo Levi born?

4. Who is the “glum American rabbi” that instructs the other retreat attendees about the ram’s horn in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 4?

5. What is the name of the camp that the traveler has come to in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How is the setting described in the opening of Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 2?

3. Why does Olin set out alone for Birkenau after lunch in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 4?

4. What is on the agenda for the first morning of the retreat in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3?

5. What does Olin consider about his behavior after the departure of Wanda and Mirek in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 2?

6. 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?

7. How is the conflict involving Mr. Earwig resolved in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 4?

8. What favor does the young couple offer to the traveler in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 1? Why?

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

10. How does Dr. Stern describe his personal mission in attending the retreat in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role that the Catholic Church played in the actions of the Holocaust. Why do some of the retreat attendees express disdain for the Church and its history in regard to the treatment of Jews? Is there evidence to back up these claims?

Essay Topic 2

Art and Expression

a. Discuss the artist Malan’s perceptions of art and expression in the novel. Why is Malan able to express the evils of the Holocaust through art more than he is able to through words?

b. How does the theme of art and expression apply to Clements Olin’s character journey in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss survivor-writers Anna Akhmatova, Tadeusz Borowski, and Aharon Appelfeld. What works were these authors known for? What is Dr. Olin’s association with the authors? How do these authors relate to Dr. Olin’s objectives at the retreat?

(see the answer keys)

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