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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 did the Ukrainian people vote to declare independence from the USSR?

2. How long could it take for transplanted bone marrow to become sufficiently well established in patients to begin producing blood components?

3. How old was Efim Slavsky when he was asked to resign as the leader of the Sredmash?

4. What altitude did the cloud of radiation reach before it was caught by wind currents?

5. How many pages of the report Legasov created on the disaster at Chernobyl were excised on the direct orders of Prime Minister Ryzhkov?

Short Essay Questions

1. When did Valery Legasov present information about the Chernobyl accident and how accurate was the information he provided?

2. What was the China Syndrome, and why was it a concern?

3. At the beginning of Chapter 16, how are General Tarakanov's men dressed to work on the roof above Unit Three?

4. Why did Alexander Meshkov conclude that the accident was due to operator error?

5. What did U.S. intelligence know about the events at the Chernobyl plant in Chapter 12?

6. What happened when Brukhanov took time off to visit his wife and son in the Crimea?

7. Who was the head of the Clinical Department of Hospital Number Six in Moscow, and what were her qualifications?

8. What did Maria Protsenko finally learn about the possibility of returning to Pripyat?

9. What were the charages against Viktor Brukhanov and the other five men who stood accused of causing the disaster at the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station?

10. Why did the Ukrainian Minsitry of Health wish to cancel the May Day parade in Kiev, and why was it not canceled?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While the fire raged at the nuclear plant, the citizens of Pripyat enjoyed a typical Saturday. How does the way that Higgenbotham compares the frantic situation at the nuclear plant to citizens enjoying a typical Saturday demonstrate the seriousness of the tragedy?

Essay Topic 2

Valery Legasov and Evgeny Velikhov both work on a team in Chernobyl. Why were the men rivals? How did the competition between them affect their work in Chernoby?

Essay Topic 3

Although Gorbachov’s policy of glasnost was designed to provide more openness in reporting information, the Soviets frequently distorted the truth. How was propaganda used to place the Soviets in the best possible light when discussing the accident?

(see the answer keys)

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