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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 Kapuscinski witnesses a protest march, what subject is a man singing about?

2. Why is Azari physically beaten?

3. What do the newspapers report about Mahmud Azari's beating?

4. What is Mahmud Azari's brother's part in the revolution?

5. Why are revolutions rare, according to Kapuscinski?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the meeting Azari has with a publisher friend.

2. Describe the incident in which Azari is beaten.

3. What is the national response to the massacre of Qom? What events follow the massacre?

4. Describe the "professional wrecker" that Kapuscinski interviews in "The Dead Flame."

5. What "two camps" does the Iranian revolution divide itself into?

6. What do revolution leaders do with Shah loyalists, and how does this action demonstrate a wide divide between Iranian and Western cultures?

7. Explain Azari's association with the Iranian Writers' Association.

8. What anecdote does Kapuscinski share about the Persian carpet salesman, and what is this salesman's message?

9. What is the Shah forced by the Americans to do shortly before the revolution? How do the people react to the Shah's action?

10. Describe the march of Engelob that Kapuscinski participates in, and how it starts.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At one point in "Daguerreotypes," a publisher is demonstrated showing pride in the publication of a poem. Why was the publisher so prideful? Discuss the particulars of the poem and the environment of censorship in Iran at that time.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the concept of "literary reportage" and why Kapuscinski's work might be said to be written in that style. What about the style, structure, content, etc., of Shah of Shahs lends itself to literary reportage? To what extent does Kapuscinski involve himself in his own work?

Essay Topic 3

In your own words, describe why the Great Civilization was not a success. Include a discussion of economics, infrastructure, manpower, and attitudes at various strata of society.

(see the answer keys)

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