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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. In the ghetto where she is taken, Kovály assists a person of which profession?

2. What do people begin offering Kovály after Margolius accepts a high-ranking government job?

3. Which of the following does not describe the political gatherings Kovály attended with her husband?

4. Who is Eva?

5. In whose hometown does the escape party dissolve?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens in Czechoslovakia as 1948 drew to a close?

2. What happens to Kovály's family at Auschwitz?

3. What complaint does Marta have about Vlada when Kovály met her?

4. What is said to have been the main topic of discussion for out of work Czechs after the war?

5. What brought the war to a conclusion for Kovály personally?

6. Why is Communism appealing to the Czech people after the war?

7. What happens when the Lodz Ghetto is liquidated?

8. What response does Kovály get when she asks her friends in Prague for help?

9. After May 5th, 1945, what does Kovály observe in the final hours of the fight against the Germans?

10. Who is arrested in November 1951 and how does it affect Margolius?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of Hitler and Stalin in Kovály`s life. Who is Adolf Hitler and how does he affect Kovály`s life? Who is Stalin and how does he affect Kovály's life?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of ostracism in "Under a Cruel Star." How is Kovály ostracized throughout the narrative? Why is she ostracized? How does this ostracism affect her life?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. When does it occur and how does it affect Kovály? Why does the Soviet Bloc feel compelled to occupy Czechoslovakia?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 761 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample