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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. When Polo speaks of Zemrude, one of the views he offers is filled with:

2. What tangible items do merchants trade in Euphemia?

3. Polo wants to inform the emperor how much darkness is out there by focusing on:

4. In Hypatia, when Polo wants to see the sultan at the palace, who is he allowed to question instead?

5. What does Polo explain that Zemrude's form is based on?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way is Tamara a city of perceptions and symbols?

2. How does Khan react to Polo's stories when he's feeling euphoric about his empire?

3. What is it about Anastasia that it would make slaves of men?

4. What is the significance of the large metal building located at the center of Fedora?

5. How is Maurilia connected to its past?

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

7. Why would you say the cities described by Polo in Chapter 3 have an especially dreamy quality about them?

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

9. Describe the city of Zenobia.

10. When Khan and Polo pause in between their conversations, pondering the meaning of what's been said, what does each imagine or visualize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Polo plays with the concept of light and dark. Some cities have beautiful sides along with darker sides. Give examples of these, describing in detail both sides. Are the sides real or imagined? How do they complete the whole? What do you suppose are Polo's reasons for sharing both sides to the emperor? Explain your answers.

Essay Topic 2

In some of Polo's stories, he dissects cities in order to show Khan the bigger picture or the whole story. How does he dissect the cities of Olivia, Sophronia, Eutropia, and Zemrude in Chapter 4? Cite specific examples. How does dissecting these cities serve to paint the big picture so that the emperor can see these cities in their entirety? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

A common thread through Polo's tales of Khan's cities is "dreams and imagination." His stories are not only informative, but also extremely entertaining for the emperor thanks to the element of fantasy Polo employs.

1) Using specific examples from the book, explain how Marco Polo carries the theme of "dreams and imagination" in his stories.

2) How does this theme grab and hook Khan into Polo's tales?

(see the answer keys)

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