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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. On one occasion, Kovály discovers the body of an acquaintance covered with what?

2. Where does Kovály see a mass demonstration in 1948?

3. Who is Jan Masaryk?

4. What does Kovály see while walking by a river that brings the war to a personal conclusion?

5. Following the end of the war, how do the Prague civil authorities handle the return of concentration camp prisoners?

Short Essay Questions

1. Following her meeting with the Party committee in 1963, what does Kovály make efforts to have done?

2. What is Kovály's last meeting with Margolius like?

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

4. What happens in Prague in October of 1941?

5. What happens when Czec soldiers will not let Kovaly leave becuase she does not have the correct paperwork?

6. Describe Kovály's difficulties in obtaining a death certificate for Margolius.

7. By the time Margolius is arrested, how many citizens in total had been taken into custody, and what often happened to the families of arrested individuals?

8. How does Kovály keep up to date with Margolius' trial when she is in the hospital?

9. After Margolius' death, why does Kovály worry that she would be arrested?

10. Where is Kovály's family when the Soviet occupation occurred?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Kovály's second husband, Pavel Kovály. How do they meet? What happens to Pavel after he marries Heda? Why does this happen?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of hope and hopelessness in "Under A Cruel Star." When does Kovály feel hopelessness? How does she cope with this feeling? What causes her to feel this way? How does she overcome this feeling? What brings her hope? How is she able to remain hopeful despite the awful situations she faces?

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?

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