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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. Which of the following is noted in the novel as “the oldest human science” (65)?

2. The phrase “the latest scuttlebutt about Dickie’s dastardly deviant’s demise” (47) offers an example of which of the following?

3. Which of the following calls Datka to summon him to the First Citizen’s residence?

4. The comment that “you don’t need to mix the metaphor to drink the cocktail, however bitter” (11) offers an example of which of the following?

5. How many hours each week does Anwar note he must put in at the consulate?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reasons does the Toymaker cite for the Operation avoiding killing?

2. What does Liz note had been the crime or crimes leading to Blair’s arrest?

3. What reasons does Anwar cite calling himself “a lucky man in many respects” (92)?

4. What does Anwar note occupies his cellar?

5. What factors are cited as having ended large drug cartels in the novel’s history?

6. What, per Liz, is the “first law of detection,” and what does it mean (38)?

7. How is Liz’s police unit justified?

8. What information does Anwar note comes in the bulletins from Issyk-Kulistan?

9. How does Christie plan to leave his identity behind?

10. What materials does Anwar note receiving to commence his consular duties?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Liz early on shows a propensity towards assigning nicknames to her colleagues. Select one such nickname; explicate its significance.

Essay Topic 2

Liz remarks on “what the folks writing the exams laughably call the real world” (14). What cause does she have to describe the phrasing as laughable? How does it justify the description?

Essay Topic 3

Anwar notes his phone translating a Russian-language phrase as “impact in ten minutes” (23). What narrative effect does the translation have? How is that effect achieved?

(see the answer keys)

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