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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. Which group does Kovály contact after receiving the note from Ruda?

2. What is the reality of the Russian government?

3. Who is Eva?

4. In which country is Kovály born?

5. What is the apartment like that Kovály is assigned?

Short Essay Questions

1. At the beginning of the book, what does Kovály say shapes her life?

2. What examples of hardships in the ghetto does Kovály describe?

3. How does the Margolius' lives change after Rudolf accepts a high-ranking government job?

4. What happens to the people who return to Prague from concentration camps after the war?

5. Of what does Kovály discover the politicians wives are fearful?

6. Why is Kovály hesitant to get involved with the Communist Party?

7. Describe the mass meeting Kovály attended in 1967.

8. How does Kovály secure herself an apartment following the war?

9. What is the Czechoslovakian economy like around 1950-51?

10. What treatment does Kovály receive following Margolius' arrest?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author of "Under A Cruel Star," Heda Margolius Kovály. What does the reader learn about Kovály by reading this book? What are her defining characteristics and how do these characteristics help her throughout her life? Why is her life worth reading about?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the struggles that Kovály faces. How does she overcome these obstacles? Are the struggles similar to others in Czechoslovakia? If not, why is she experiencing them?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the motif of escape in "Under A Cruel Star." Describe Kovály's escape from the Nazis. How does she do this and is she successful? How does she later escape from occupied Czechoslovakia and where does she go? How does she feel about leaving her homeland?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 797 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample