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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. What story did the men at the fire NOT want to hear Platonov tell? (The Snake Charmer.")

2. In "In The Night," what were Glebov and Bagretsov looking for?

3. For Potashnikov, how long did his breakfast sustain his work? ("Carpenters.")

4. What did Fedya call Platonov in "The Snake Charmer"?

5. What was the name of the religious sect spoken about in "Quiet"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was the Siberian dwarf cedar called a "weatherman" by the narrator?

2. Given that convicts were not allowed to see a thermometer, how did they know when temperatures reached 60 degrees below zero in "Carpenters"?

3. What "piece of meat" did Golubev offer up in sacrifice? ("A Piece of Meat.")

4. Why did the convicts that had been in the camps take their bread back to their barracks? ("Major Pugachov's Last Battle")

5. Why did Platonov decide to tell the thieves a story? ("The Snake Charmer.")

6. What notations did the guards, described in "Prosthetic Appliances", use to show that a convict would not receive hot food and/or bread?

7. What plans did Bagretsov have for the underwear that he took off of the corpse?

8. What hypothesis was tested in the story "Quiet"?

9. Why did Merzlakov fake a back injury in "Shock Therapy"?

10. Why were camp officials perplexed by the convicts avoidance of the bathhouse?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "Quiet," an particular irony was set up. One of the camp administrators believed that "a man will eat and in gratitude work better for the state." In what circumstances did this statement prove to be false? In what circumstances did this statement prove to be true? What was the determining factor in the truth behind the statement?

Essay Topic 2

The theme of survival was important in the text. Discuss the different aspects of survival as depicted throughout the text. What were the different aspects of survival? What did it mean to survive? Why were there different understandings of this term?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator in "My First Tooth" stated that "even if you can't get something published, it's easier to bear a thing if you write it down. Once you've done that, you can forget." Do you agree with the narrator's statement? Why?/Why not? What is healing about writing something down? How may it help?

(see the answer keys)

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