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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. How do Peter and his men enter the tower?

2. Whose help is Ivan the Great seeking for what he wants?

3. At the beginning of Chapter 13, what does Kreutz tell Tring?

4. What does the king give to Pan Andrew?

5. What is the best description of the explosions referenced in the Charnetskis' apartment?

Short Essay Questions

1. Chapter 11 explains that something has changed with Peter of the Button Face. Describe the changes.

2. What does Peter of the Button Face say to the king regarding why he is in Krakow in Chapter 15?

3. Explain what happens after Kreutz grabs the crystal from the king's hands.

4. What does Pan Andrew tell the king about the Great Tarnov Crystal in Chapter 15?

5. When Tring puts Kreutz into a trance in Chapter 13, what important information does Kreutz give to Tring?

6. What is the ancient legend of Krakus?

7. When Elzbietka hears the Heynal played in its entirety as described in Chapter 12, where is she and what does she do?

8. What sounds does the Epilogue say one hears coming from the church?

9. Who leaves the tower to fight the fire and who fills in for him in Chapter 14?

10. Explain what happens to the Charnetski family at the end of Chapter 16.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the fire. Discuss how the solution today for putting out fires is the same as the solution was in the Middle Ages. Compare today's methods of solving the problem with the methods of solving the problem in the Middle Ages. Do you think that the Middle Ages' method of putting out fires was smart and effective? Other than to teach a historically accurate event, why do you think the author goes to such great lengths to describe the methods of putting out the fire?

Essay Topic 2

Does the author provide insight into why so many people believed in superstition or the black arts, or is the reader left wondering why it was so important to the people in the novel? Was this a satisfying way to address the issue or do you wish the author would have handled it differently?

Essay Topic 3

The author emphasizes the importance of tradition in the lives of the Polish and Ukrainian people. Why do you think the author emphasized tradition in the novel? Was he just accurately describing the priorities of Polish people, or are there elements of symbolism apparent?

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