View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word from Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 2 refers to the appearance of the face?

2. 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?

3. Who is the survivor-writer that is quoted in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3 has having said “The Holocaust belongs to the type of enormous experience that reduces one to silence. Any utterance, any statement, any ‘answer’ is tiny, meaningless, and occasionally ridiculous”?

4. What word is used to describe the ram’s horn blown as a wind instrument in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 4?

5. The narrator describes Dr. Stern in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3 as “one of those perverse intellectuals who enjoy the role of” what?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Where has “the traveler” arrived in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 1? What does he learn upon his arrival?

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

6. 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?

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

8. How does Dr. Stern describe the mission of the retreat in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 3? Who has come to attend the retreat?

9. Who greets Olin once he arrives at his destination in Part I: “A Guest of Poland,” Chapter 2?

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

Describe and analyze the character of G. Earwig in the novel. How does Earwig’s behavior stand apart from the other retreat attendees? Where is Earwig from? What do you think his objectives are in attending the retreat?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the setting of Cracow, Poland. How far is Cracow located from the Auschwitz concentration camp? Discuss the history of Cracow prior to and during World War II. How much damage did Cracow see from the war? How is Cracow described in 1996, when Clements Olin arrives?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,000 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample