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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. Who ends up finding Pavel's note?

2. Who does Leo meet in the sanatorium?

3. Why is a Communist officer part of the food store plan?

4. Who joins the Communist Party?

5. What does Kira do during Leo's absence?

Short Essay Questions

1. What steps does Kira take to try to send Leo to a sanatorium?

2. How does Kira respond to Andrei's investigation of the food store?

3. What happens when Kira comes home after Victor's wedding party?

4. What makes Vasili connect with Glieb?

5. Why does Leo refer to himself as a "gigolo"?

6. How is Kira's influence over Andrei shown during the report on the agrarian situation?

7. How does Pavel show disrespect for people when he returns from lunch with Morozov?

8. Why does Victor feel that he cannot get ahead in the Communist Party?

9. Why does Andrei say Kira cannot return his love?

10. What does Kira reveal to Andrei about the night he said he loved her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The characters in "We the Living" hold a variety of jobs. Choose four characters, and compare and contrast their jobs. Reflect on the value society has for these jobs, the actual work involved, the possibility for advancement, and how the job would be different if Russia were not Communist.

Essay Topic 2

Alexander and Galina respond to the many changes of this novel in their own way. How do they adapt to the move in and out of hiding, the new government, new jobs, and changes to their family structure? Reflect on how each character's ideals and beliefs change, or remain unchanged, in response to these new situations.

Essay Topic 3

As "We the Living" progresses, Communism's ideals are slowly dissolved and the Party is proven to be quite corrupt. Give three examples of how this transformation occurs from beginning to end of the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 652 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample