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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 does the narrator do at the beginning of part three?

2. The day following their one-day reunion, Ludvik phones Marketa. What happens?

3. Ludvik and Kostka, just before Kostka returns to the hospital, come to an ideological impasse. How long ago were they in the same position?

4. What does the river in Moravia look like?

5. What does Ludvik's group, marked by their black insignia, work on every morning?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why don't Helena's coworkers like her?

2. What happens during Ludvik's shave that changes the experience for him, and how does Ludvik react to the rest of his shave?

3. How did Marketa react to the postcard Ludvik sent?

4. What finally prompted Helena and Zemanek to get married?

5. After Marketa and Ludvik speak candidly about the postcard, Ludvik suggests he could win Marketa despite everything. How, and what, does he do?

6. How does Helena feel about younger women?

7. What were the early days of Helena and Zemanek's relationship like?

8. Why does Ludvik feel frustrated when he leaves the barber for his shave?

9. What is a typical day in the life of Ludvik at Ostrava?

10. Why did Ludvik send Marketa the postcard?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast how the people of western Bohemia treat Lucie and the children in the town.

Essay Topic 2

Outline Kostka's belief system and the major fallacies reflected in the life he leads.

Essay Topic 3

What makes Lucie afraid of physical intimacy and how is it overcome?

(see the answer keys)

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