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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 decorates the vault beneath the small church in Rome?

2. To what does Twain compare Versailles?

3. What item interests Twain most in Rome after visiting the Coliseum?

4. When does the judge finally complain in Twain's story?

5. What does Twain tell the group of poor people to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What impresses Twain about St. Peter's?

2. After their visit to Versailles, the travelers return to find that a "great battle" has taken place on the ship, and they have missed the events. What was the battle about, and who were the participants?

3. Compare/contrast Twain's first opinion of Venice to his opinion after he arrives at the Grand Canal.

4. Compare/contrast American and European work ethics, as described by Twain in Chapter 19.

5. Twain's first exposure to another people is when he lands in the Azores Islands. He listens to the people speaking Portuguese and scoffs at the many beggars. What is his first impression of the people of the Azores, and why do you think he feels the way he does about them?

6. Twain accompanies his group to the Coliseum. As he watches them scrabble for pieces of the huge building, he finds a playbill where a woman invites a man on a secret date. Why is this piece of trash more interesting to Twain than the souvenirs his friends seek?

7. Describe the scene with the kid gloves. What do you think bothers Twain the most about this situation?

8. The ancient city of Pompeii was buried under an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Twain imagines what the lives of the people of Pompeii must have been like and wonders whether U.S. history would be correctly reported if something similar occurred in the United States. What do you think prompts Twain to wonder such a thing?

9. Compare/contrast Versailles with Faubourg St. Antoine.

10. In Chapter 13, the group hires a tour guide to show them famous sites. Despite being tasked with this duty, the guide seems more interested in obtaining money by taking the tourists shopping and earning a commission. He even manages to keep them from making the Louvre before closing. What does this say about the tour guides in Paris, and how might this affect the group's hiring of other tour guides in the future?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Twain uses other people's words to write his article at times. For example, when in Nazareth, he copies an extract from the Apocryphal New Testament. Why do you think he does this? Twain doesn't strike one as a person in want of words, so why is it important to note that he does quote other writers?

Essay Topic 2

Twain's attitude toward the beggars, who seem to be everywhere, comes across as that of disdain rather than pity. He is disgusted by them, yet we hear few words of commiseration. What about the time Twain lived in encouraged this type of attitude toward the poor? What does Twain say that illustrates his attitude toward the beggars?

Essay Topic 3

There are several situations mentioned in the book that Twain finds disturbing, such as the naked girl in Egypt. Describe another situation that Twain finds disturbing. Why do you think these events have such an impact on his psyche? Is it simply because it is something not commonly seen in America, or do you think it has something to do with prejudice? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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