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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What sort of man is Rostopchin?
(a) He is a very cruel man who has no regard for anyone.
(b) He is a man who means well and is generally kind.
(c) He is a dutiful servant of the Tsar's.
(d) He is a bit brutal with a close eye on how people perceive his actions.

2. How does Nicholas react to Mary when he arrives at Bogucharovo?
(a) He is struck by her eyes and sees this as a romantic situation.
(b) He is sorry for her.
(c) He is too busy to think about her.
(d) He is embarrassed for intruding on her mourning.

3. Boris is at a ball dancing with Helene at Vilna. Who arrives to speak with the tsar?
(a) None of the above.
(b) Prince Bagration.
(c) Balashev.
(d) Arakcheev.

4. What prevents Anatole from openly courting Natasha?
(a) Count Rostov is very protective of his daughter.
(b) Anatole is already married.
(c) Marya Dmitrievna dislikes the Kuragins and tells Natasha that she will not allow them in her home.
(d) Natasha's engagement to Prince Andrew.

5. What news does Pierre hear from Rostopchin and his adjutant when he arrives back in Moscow after Borodino?
(a) Anatole has had his leg amputated and Helene is leaving Russia for Europe.
(b) Anatole is dying and Helene has converted to Catholicism.
(c) Andrew is mortally wounded, and Moscow is being deserted.
(d) Anatole and Andrew have been killed and Helene is planning to marry again.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Tolstoy view Napoleon's dispositions for the Battle of Borodino?

2. At Borodino, Andrew is with his regiment. What are they doing and what happens to them?

3. Where do the wounded soldiers go when everyone is leaving Moscow before the French arrive?

4. After the battle at Borodino, where does Pierre stay the night?

5. Balashev is sent to meet Napoleon with a letter from Alexander. Who does he meet before seeing Napoleon and how do the meetings go?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tolstoy view the war and its causes?

2. What is Tolstoy's view of Count Rostopchin's actions in Moscow immediately preceding the arrival of the French?

3. What happens with Pierre after the reading of the Tsar's letter asking for money, serfs and equipment?

4. What has happened to Pierre to change Natasha's view about him?

5. Berg goes to the Rostov's as they are packing up to leave Moscow. Why does he go there?

6. What does Tolstoy say changes in the nature of war when the French move from Smolensk to Moscow?

7. Where does Pierre go after Borodino and how has he reacted to the battle?

8. How does the old prince behave toward Mary after his last stroke?

9. While Moscow is being abandoned, what is everyone in St. Petersburg saying about Helene?

10. How does Tolstoy view the causes of historical events (this is described while the French are in Moscow and the Russians are waiting in Tarútino for a good opportunity to attack)?

(see the answer keys)

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