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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why was Ludvik summoned the day after he returned to his post at University in his third year?
(a) An inquiry about the quality of his work.
(b) A promotion because of his innovations.
(c) A promotion because of his loyalty.
(d) An inquiry about the postcard he sent Marketa.

2. Who is the narrator of the part two?
(a) Jana.
(b) Ludvik.
(c) Pavel.
(d) Helena.

3. Where does Kostka live?
(a) He has a room in the hospital.
(b) A bachelor flat in a new complex.
(c) A two-room flat in another town 30 miles away.
(d) In the same hotel Ludvik is staying in.

4. What was Helena doing at the age of eighteen?
(a) Schoolwork.
(b) In the gallows.
(c) Raising her child.
(d) Espionage.

5. When Ludvik finally goes before the plenary session of the Department of Natural Sciences, how many people speak for him?
(a) Three - Marketa, Zemanek and Pavel.
(b) None.
(c) One, only Marketa.
(d) Two, Marketa and Zemanek.

6. When did Helena move to Prague?
(a) 1945.
(b) 1959.
(c) 1939.
(d) 1949.

7. How does Kostka receive Ludvik after not seeing each other in so long?
(a) Kostka was cold to Ludvik.
(b) Kostka is glad to see Ludvik.
(c) Kostka did not want to see Ludvik.
(d) Kostka was pleasant to Ludvik, but excused himself quickly.

8. What does the narrator do at the beginning of part three?
(a) Have dinner.
(b) Go wandering.
(c) Meet a lover.
(d) Go to the hospital.

9. Ludvik and Kostka, just before Kostka returns to the hospital, come to an ideological impasse. How long ago were they in the same position?
(a) Fifteen years.
(b) Fourteen years.
(c) Nine years.
(d) Seven years.

10. Ludvik overhears his neighbors in the hotel as soon as he is settled in. What does he learn about the neighbors?
(a) They are a small family of three.
(b) It is an old man traveling alone, talking to himself.
(c) They are a large family of five.
(d) They are a man and a woman.

11. When Ludvik sits down to have a shave, what does he do?
(a) Check his appearance in the mirror.
(b) Talk to the girl shaving him right away.
(c) Avoid the mirror and look at the ceiling.
(d) Start a conversation with the man in the chair next to him.

12. What does the river in Moravia look like?
(a) It has dried up completely.
(b) It is full of fish.
(c) Viscous clay.
(d) Crystal clear water.

13. Who narrates part three of "The Joke"?
(a) Marketa.
(b) Ludvik.
(c) Ostrava.
(d) Lucie.

14. What organ does Helena have trouble with, under the slightest bit of exertion?
(a) Her brain.
(b) Her heart.
(c) Her stomach.
(d) Her lungs.

15. How did Helena meet Zemanek?
(a) In Old Town Square.
(b) At the Fucik Song and Dance Ensemble.
(c) On St. John's Bridge.
(d) In class at University.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Marketa and Ludvik reunite at University, how does Marketa act?

2. After the woman giving Ludvik finishes soaping his face and gets up to retrieve the razor, Ludvick wants to look at her and realizes what?

3. What did Zemanek give Helena, his most favorite possession, as a gesture of reconciliation?

4. What does Helena claim she is looking for?

5. After a disappointing leave in pursuit of the infamous 'Candlestick,' Ludvik decides the same weekend as Stana's wedding to go off on his own. Who does Ludvik meet this weekend?

(see the answer keys)

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