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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. Why does Ginzburg try to clean up herself?

2. How does Ginzburg view the hearings against her and others?

3. How does Pitkovskaya commit suicide?

4. What has Ginzburg heard is an indication she is about to be shot?

5. Who apologizes to Ginzburg?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where is Ginzburg taken and what does she remember after seeing the place?

2. Who summons Ginzburg after Elvov's arrest; what do they want with her, and how does she respond?

3. Where is Ginzburg being transferred and what is significant about the watch returned to her?

4. Who is Ginzburg's first cellmate at Black Lake?

5. Who are some of Ginzburg's cellmates at Krasin Street Prison?

6. When is Ginzburg arrested and where does she tell goodbye?

7. How is Ginzburg's situation changed on Red Army Day?

8. How is Ginzburg's mother-in-law described and what does she advise Ginzburg?

9. Why does Ginzburg think things have been straightened out and what happens to throw her back into the midst of the purge?

10. Who are Ginzburg's new cell mates?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The train ride is especially telling of the life that the women are about to be plunged into. It also reveals a host of ideas and differences among the women with respect to Communism, Stalin, and themselves. A few fanatical women believe Stalin is innocent of the evil of his subordinates; others have come to hate the entire system. But just as their political differences threaten to pull them apart, they decide to band together and look out for each other as best they can.

1. Discuss the reasons some women might still hold to the idea that Stalin himself was not personally responsible for what was going on. Use examples from Journey Into the Whirlwind and your own life to support your response.

2. What do you think can happen to a system of government if a majority of its citizens begin to hate the system? Use examples from Journey Into the Whirlwind and your own life to support your response.

3. How do you think the women were able to set aside political differences to help each other and what does that imply for other groups of people in the world? Use examples from Journey Into the Whirlwind and your own life to support your response.

Essay Topic 2

There are a number of interesting questions raised by Journey Into the Whirlwind. Questions that Ginzburg most likely want readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Ginzburg' agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Ginzburg' probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface? Why or why not?

3. How often do you think memoir is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Ginzburg and see if/where her life may have influenced her writing.

Essay Topic 3

Stalin's regime, in conjunction with the frailties of the Communist system, seek to stamp out even perceived opposition to their control. They fear a popular uprising, similar to the uprising they led years before against Czar Nicholas. And in order to maintain power, and continue to instill fear in their people, they continue to apply weight to the people. Apathetic and disinterested Communists are libeled for not denouncing their lesser fellow citizens.

1. Discuss why totalitarian governments are prone to worry about opposition. Use examples from Journey Into the Whirlwind and your own life to support your response.

2. Discuss the ways in which a government can maintain power by the use of fear. Use examples from Journey Into the Whirlwind and your own life to support your response.

3. Explain how requiring citizens to denounce other citizens created the actual situation that Stalin feared. Use examples from Journey Into the Whirlwind and your own life to support your response.

(see the answer keys)

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