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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. In Kolyma, what "keeps secrets and reveals them"? ("Land-Lease.")

2. From where did the new group of prisoners come from? ("Magic.")

3. What color armbands did the military patrol wear at the train station? ("The Train.")

4. What had the narrator written complaints about? ("The Lawyers' Plot.")

5. When the name "Skoroseev" was mentioned to the narrator, what did he immediately recall? ("Esperanto.")

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Gusev break the window in the basement of the former monastery? ("My First Tooth.")

2. According to the narrator in "The Lawyer's Plot," what were the three ways out of the mine?

3. What was Kudinov's reasoning for why the convict work gang #4 stood idol on November 12th? ("The Injector.")

4. Why did Golubev watch Stukov's "game" with pleasure? ("Magic.")

5. Why did Praga, in "Esperanto," hack his clothing to rags?

6. What did Shestakov offer the narrator as nourishment to aid in an upcoming escape attempt? ("Condensed Milk.")

7. What did the bulldozer, in "Land-Lease," come to be used for?

8. What was written on the cell ceiling of the monastery basement? ("My First Tooth.")

9. Why was Golubev called to Stukov's home in "Magic"?

10. Why was Stukov contemptuous and delighted by the shifty-eyed man's admittance about his being an informant? ("Magic")

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Based upon the text, what three things do you think that the forced-laborers in Kolyma needed to survive? Find three different needs and explain why they were necessary for survival in Kolyma.

Essay Topic 2

Given the dehumanizing circumstances that the narrator relayed throughout the text, many instances of true humanity shone through. Discuss three examples where humanity won out over animalistic behavior in the text.

Essay Topic 3

The author learned many different things during his time spent in Kolyma. Choose two different lessons that the author learned and discuss why these were important. What was the lesson? How was the lesson learned? How did this affect the life of the author after the experience?

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