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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. If someone wants to see the blueprint for the city of Thekla, what will he be told?
(a) To come back after the working day.
(b) It is buried deep beneath the city.
(c) The blueprint was lost in a fire.
(d) The blueprint changes from one hour to the next.

2. Octavia is full of:
(a) Forgotten dreams.
(b) Translucent tents.
(c) Ropes, chains, and catwalks.
(d) Towers, arches, and bells.

3. The people of Adelma remind Polo of what?
(a) Spoiled children.
(b) Overstuffed toads.
(c) Friends and relatives who have died.
(d) Princes and princesses.

4. In Chapter 8, Khan comes to realize that knowledge of his empire can be found in:
(a) The hidden spaces between spoken words.
(b) The hidden patterns on a chessboard.
(c) The hidden places in his vast garden.
(d) The hidden clues in Polo's stories.

5. How does Polo describe the city of Olinda?
(a) Lonely, lovely, and lost.
(b) Like trees, it grows in concentric circles.
(c) Like the billowing clouds of summer.
(d) Longing for a renewed version of itself.

6. What does Polo describe Eusapia as?
(a) Carefree.
(b) Disciplined.
(c) Unreliable.
(d) Cold.

7. What does the hidden side of Moriana look like?
(a) A golden altar to the gods of light and darkness.
(b) A wasteland of jagged rocks and tortured souls.
(c) An expanse of rusting sheet metal and pipes black with soot.
(d) A giant warehouse filled with travelers' broken dreams.

8. Worried about his own empire, Khan begins to dream of cities that are:
(a) Just starting to grow.
(b) Light as feathers and transparent.
(c) Protected by solid stone walls.
(d) Indestructible.

9. Polo says that Clarice is:
(a) A city of madmen and silent children.
(b) A glorious city with a tormented history.
(c) The future capital of the empire.
(d) The most normal city he's ever visited.

10. When Polo describes a bridge made of stone, Khan wants to know:
(a) Which stone supports the bridge.
(b) How large the stones are.
(c) How many stones are in the bridge.
(d) Whether the stones are rough or smooth.

11. When a traveler arrives at Phyllis, what does he decide to do?
(a) Sleep by day and explore by night.
(b) Stay there for the rest of his life.
(c) Dance, sing, and eat.
(d) Relax in the public baths.

12. The form of the city of Eudoxia is preserved in a carpet. When someone who is lost stares at this carpet, what happens?
(a) One enters a state of deep sleep.
(b) One becomes hopelessly lost.
(c) A guide appears to lead the lost sojourner home.
(d) The carpet reveals the exact street on which one stands.

13. In Argia, what are the streets filled with?
(a) Frogs.
(b) Dirt.
(c) Buttons.
(d) Jewels.

14. What does Khan dream his lands are filled with?
(a) Innovative architecture.
(b) Gold, silver, and bronze.
(c) The brightest, most beautiful people.
(d) Promise and rich growth.

15. As the two men sit smoking their pipes, does Khan actually confront Polo?
(a) Yes, Khan definitely confronts Polo.
(b) It's not clear whether this actually happens or Khan only imagines it.
(c) The whole sequence is just Khan's dream.
(d) No, Khan never confronts Polo.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following is not true about the city of Beersheba?

2. To make the passing from life to death less abrupt, what have the people of Eusapia done?

3. Looking at Argia from above, what does one see?

4. What items from his travels does Polo spread at the feet of Khan in Chapter 8?

5. The more Khan listens to Polo's stories, the less certain he is that he is sitting in the garden or:

(see the answer keys)

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