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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. Who are the Raskolniki?

2. Who is the monastery dedicated to that is built on land Melei gives to the priest?

3. What is Boris hoping for?

4. Who marries Milei's youngest son?

5. What question does Boris wonder about when he returns from the campaign?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Yanka's interactions with Peter.

3. What has changed since the scenes set in 180 AD?

4. Describe the lifestyles of Lebed and her people.

5. Who has the most power in this earliest chapter?

6. What has changed by 1552?

7. Describe the controversy over the icons in Russka.

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

9. Describe Yanka's pregnancy and marriage.

10. What problem is Boris Bobrov having with his estate and how does he solve it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate your own reading of "Russka"--did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 2

What contemporary cultural problems or cultural questions does "Russka" shed light on? What questions about an ongoing cultural situation does "Russka" help you understand?

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)

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