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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. Polo tells Khan that the second half of Sophronia is filled with what?

2. Polo describes a city with two forms of religion. In one, the gods live in a subterranean lake. In the other, the gods live where?

3. If a traveler walks into Zemrude with his head held high, how does he see the city?

4. Khan tells Polo about his dreams of a city where the farewells from its harbor are what?

5. When the people of Chloe pass each other in the street, what do they do?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way are the people of Chloe connected to each other?

2. Describe life in Eutropia, which is made up of many individual cities of equal size.

3. What happens from time to time to the temporary part of the city of Sophronia?

4. What do the different models of the city of Fedora show?

5. How does Polo describe the young women of Armilla?

6. Describe the city of Zenobia.

7. In Chapter 4, why does Polo dissect every city he describes to Khan?

8. Describe how the means of communication between Khan and Polo evolves.

9. Describe the gods in the two religions of Isaura.

10. Khan and Polo each envision model cities. From these models, what are the two men able to deduce?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many of Polo's stories, there is a strong relationship between the living and the dead.

Part 1) Give specific examples from the book of cities that exhibit some type of connection between those who are alive and those who have passed on.

Part 2) Why does Polo cover this theme? Why does he return to it again and again? What is he trying to establish, either for himself or for the emperor, regarding the interconnectedness of the living and the dead?

Essay Topic 2

When telling stories to Khan from the steps of the palace, Polo emphasizes the importance of the evening breeze they are enjoying. Explain how the breeze serves as a grounding mechanism. How does it work to imprint memories in Khan's mind? What purpose does it serve the stories Polo tells? How does the breeze affect Khan's connection to the stories and his cities?

Essay Topic 3

Part 1) Compare and contrast the two characters in the story, Kublai Khan and Marco Polo. In what ways are they similar? How are they different?

Part 2) What kind of a relationship do Khan and Polo have? What does each learn from the other? Do the characters grow and develop in any way through their interactions with each other? If so, how? Cite examples from the book to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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