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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 groups of workers was NOT considered a trusty in the prison system?

2. How many days did the first hunger strike in Gulag last?

3. After Krylenko's trial, how many men were spared death by execution?

4. Which of the following liquids frequently made prisoners in punishment cells drunk?

5. Who famously uttered the words, "Intelligentsia are not the nation's brains, but their excrement"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened during the new era of executions?

2. How did the public react to Vlasov's sentencing at his trial?

3. Why were six peasants shot in Tsarskoe Selo, and what was the response from the public?

4. What major change did Lenin make to the law right before he suffered his first stroke?

5. How did the peasants of Kotlas live after a Gulag prison was set up on their land in 1938?

6. What was Vlasov put on trial for in the last of Russia's open trials?

7. What happened in the trial of Shakhty?

8. What types of prisoners were separated from the native population at Gulag?

9. Who were the sons of Gulag?

10. What would prisoners drink while being transported?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Before prisoners were sent to the Gulag camps, they had to go through an intense legal proceeding. Describe the timeline of events each new arrested individual would go through before arriving at Gulag prisons. Explain how the random nature of Russia's legal system created confusion and disorganization among the interrogation guards.

Essay Topic 2

In this memoir, Solzhenitsyn speaks very cynically about the way the Russian people have ignored the truths about Gulag. What reasons does Solzhenitsyn give as to why the Russian people might want to turn their backs on their history? What dangers arise from ignoring a country's history? In what ways does Solzhenitsyn think the Russian government should commemorate the atrocities of Gulag?

Essay Topic 3

When the widespread arrests started sweeping through Russia, few political prisoners fought against their arrests. First, explain why many men didn't fight against their arrests, and what they thought would happen to them in their first days within the camp. Next, explain how hope was slowly dashed, and why many prisoners refused to commit suicide or attempt escape.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 841 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample