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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. Who tells the story about the Jewish family hiding in a secret hiding place in a Warsaw house and was then discovered by the Gestapo because of the little girl who wouldn’t stop crying in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 7?

2. Father Mikal implies in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 13 that the mother-superior warned him that who had brought malicious gossip from their diocese to the retreat?

3. The excommunicated monk Stefan’s priory is in the region of what notorious death camp north of Warsaw, according to the narrator in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 7?

4. Where was Josef Mengele located at the time of his death?

5. What are the lyrics of the children’s lullaby that Sister Catherine translates into English for Olin in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does G. Earwig describe the loss of his family in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 12?

2. How does the dancing come about in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 11? Who dances alongside Olin?

3. What information does Sister Catherine relate to Olin when she greets him in the beginning of Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 12?

4. What information does Erna reveal to Olin prior to the meditation meeting in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 14?

5. What reason does Olin give for his family’s failure to search for his mother when he “bears witness” in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 14?

6. Who steps forward to “bear witness” at the meditation meeting in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 10? What does this character reveal?

7. How does the narrator describe the Olinskis’ efforts to locate Clements’s mother in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 7?

8. Who follows Olin as he searches for Brzezinka in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 8? Why is Olin looking for this setting?

9. What does Olin consider the phenomenon of the dancing to be in Part III: “Dancing at Auschwitz,” Chapter 11?

10. What inner conflicts does Olin reveal in Part II: “In the Ogre’s Cave,” Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the attraction and tension between Olin and Sister Catherine in In Paradise. Are there indications in the text that Sister Catherine shares an attraction to Dr. Olin? How does Olin perceive his own feelings for Sister Catherine?

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

Analyze and discuss the narrative style of In Paradise. Is the story related from a first, second, or third-person perspective? Is the narrator involved in the action of the story? Is the story told in present or past tense? How does each of these authorial choices affect the story and the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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