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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 happens when Boris says that one of the monks is guilty of heresy?

2. What village is at the heart of the novel?

3. Whose arrival is Milei waiting for in 1262?

4. What does Yanka get a woman to help her do?

5. Who are the Raskolniki?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the revolution that kills Sviatopolk.

2. Who are the Raskolniki?

3. What kind of political alliance does Milei suggest, and why does this injure Yanka?

4. Describe the controversy over the icons in Russka.

5. What has changed by 1552?

6. Describe Yanka's interactions with Peter.

7. What is the political situation in Russia when the novel leaps forward to 1647?

8. Describe the setting and story being told when the story shifts to 1237.

9. Describe Andrei Karpenko's relationship with Maryushka.

10. Where does the novel begin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the importance of religion in "Russka"? How does Rutherfurd characterize Russian religion, and what place does it occupy in Russian society and politics?

Essay Topic 2

What influences led to the end of serfdom in Russia? Were these influences naturally Russian influences, or were the imported from without?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the overall form of the novel "Russka". Is it one overarching story, or is it a series of discrete stories that don't necessarily add up to a master narrative.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 661 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample