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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 lifelong illness did Darisa the Bear's sister suffer from?

2. Who obtains a potion from the apothecary and takes it to the tiger's wife in Chapter 12: "The Apothecary"?

3. How many miles did Natalia's grandfather travel to reach Zdrevkov before his death, according to the narrator in the Epilogue?

4. What does Dure use as a "metaphorical heart" in the ritual in Chapter 8: "The Heart"?

5. What is the name of the song that Luka hears on the radio and recognizes as his own in Chapter 7: "The Butcher"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Natalia theorize about Luka's death in the Epilogue? How does she explain the villagers' obsession with the legends of the tiger's wife?

2. How is Darisa's childhood and young adulthood described in Chapter 9: "The Bear"?

3. How does Natalia describe the contents of her grandfather's bag in the Epilogue? When was the bag opened?

4. What is revealed of the apothecary's childhood and early adulthood in Chapter 12: "The Apothecary"?

5. How does Natalia describe her grandfather's legacy amongst his peers in the novel's Epilogue?

6. What does Gavran Gaile say about the suddenness of death in Chapter 11: "The Bombing"?

7. What leads to Amana's illness in Chapter 7: "The Butcher"? What is done for her when she becomes ill?

8. How does the diggers' ritualistic ceremony in Chapter 8: "The Heart" relate to the central themes of The Tiger's Wife?

9. How does Natalia describe the actions of her fellow citizens and of the zoo animals during the bombing raids in Chapter 11: "The Bombing"?

10. What mission does Natalia accept during the diggers' ceremony in Chapter 8: "The Heart"? Why does she undertake this mission?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of Dure and the objective of the diggers in the novel. Why does Dure refuse to have his children inoculated at the orphanage? What illness do you think the diggers suffer from? What are Dure and the diggers searching for in the vineyard? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the different rituals surrounding death that are explored in The Tiger’s Wife. What are the origins and history of these rituals? How do these rituals compare with the rituals of death in your own culture? What are the benefits of these rituals, as seen in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. When was this book published? Who are the main characters in the story? What does The Jungle Book symbolize to Natalia’s grandfather? Who gave him the book? What does the lack of the book in the grandfather’s personal effects represent to Natalia?

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