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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which word does Alvise Loredan notably use frequently in talking with the narrator and the Lauritzens?
(a) "Grandiose."
(b) "Paradox."
(c) "Noble."
(d) "Important."

2. Where does the Count Giuseppe Volpi live?
(a) In Castello.
(b) In Santa Croce.
(c) In Cannaregio.
(d) On the Giudecca.

3. What does Giampaolo compare Murano to in talking about creativity?
(a) A barren field.
(b) A blazing fire.
(c) A great tree.
(d) An isolated island.

4. What kind of mentality does Peter say doesn't exist in Venice?
(a) The Anglo-Saxon mentality.
(b) The egalitarian mentality.
(c) The democratic mentality.
(d) The Puritan mentality.

5. What is Contessa Marcello's main, immediate concern when she hears about the fire?
(a) Whether the Prime Minister's wife will be coming to the ball.
(b) The safety of her family.
(c) The inappropriateness of the ball.
(d) The safety of her possessions.

6. What aspect of the fire department's handling of the Fenice fire did the custodian's attorney attack?
(a) The fire brigade didn't know which magistrate was on call the night of the fire.
(b) The fire brigade should have filled the canal behind the Fenice.
(c) The fire brigade argued with the national police about who was in charge.
(d) The fire brigade didn't have the proper equipment.

7. What does the narrator say the Fenice had been reduced to upon seeing the front of the building?
(a) A mask.
(b) A fire pit.
(c) A mess.
(d) A lump of coal.

8. What does the narrator notice about characters in novels and movies set in Venice?
(a) They aren't honest.
(b) They aren't very educated.
(c) They aren't Venetian.
(d) They aren't convincing characters.

9. What are Signor and Signora Seguso doing when they notice the fire?
(a) Sitting down to dinner.
(b) Getting ready for bed.
(c) Reading the newspaper.
(d) Watching television.

10. What was the floor in Rose and Peter's basement apartment previously made of?
(a) Dirt.
(b) Marble.
(c) Wood.
(d) Stone.

11. What has Alistair McAlpine begun to collect?
(a) Paintings.
(b) Police truncheons.
(c) Boats.
(d) Neckties.

12. What do the Lauritzens do while talking that makes it difficult for the narrator to follow them?
(a) They keep changing the subject.
(b) They keep interrupting each other.
(c) They talk at the same time.
(d) They switch back and forth between English and Italian.

13. What does the narrator say the Ateneo Veneto once housed?
(a) A fraternal order dedicated to escorting condemned prisoners to the gallows.
(b) A museum of Venetian history.
(c) The Academy of Art.
(d) A fraternal order of monks.

14. According to the book, who founded the Venice Film Festival?
(a) Signor Seguso.
(b) Mussolini.
(c) Count Girolamo Marcello.
(d) Count Giuseppe Volpi.

15. In which quarter does the narrator take an apartment?
(a) Castello.
(b) Marghera.
(c) Giudecca.
(d) Cannaregio.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many major versions of the Fenice does Peter say there have been in 200 years?

2. Who does the narrator say put an end to Carnival?

3. What does Dr. Scattolin say will happen to the healthy pigeons?

4. Which reminders of "La Traviata, Rigoletto and Tancredi" were supposedly housed in the Fenice according to one of the dinner guests at the Carnival ball?

5. Where is Peter from originally?

(see the answer keys)

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