LIT2120 Final Exam
We concluded that there isn't much of Allende's signature magic realism in this story. Which of the following statements comes closest to reflecting a kind of magic realism (where fantastic events happen, but are not questioned by the characters)?
"Many more hours would go by before he accepted that time had stagnated and reality had been irreparably distorted."
At the very end of the story Grete Samsa has
"blossomed into a lovely and shapely girl"
The bedspread that Tita had crocheted
A & B (eventually was big enough to cover the entire ranch: three hectares; symbolized her perpetually deferred desire)
According to the story, why does the court ultimately convict Chandara?
A & B Only (Because she asks it to; she can't take the trial anymore; Because she is the only defendant who never wavers from her story, so they believe her)
Which of the following are examples of Gregor losing his humanity?
A & C (He loses his taste for fresh food, preferring garbage; He is unable to communicate verbally)
Why is the narrator of "Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Gas" so overwhelmed with guilt and disgust that he vomits?
All but A (Because as a prisoner himself, guilt plagues him, because he realizes he could easily be in the newcomers' position; Because he feels disgust for the people he is processing, yet realizes that by doing his job, he is complying with the Nazis, who also inhumanely imprison him; Because he is trying to stay alive in the daily face of systematic genocide)
Shakespeare's fools and madmen often speak the truth. Identify an example where Lu Xun's madman might be speaking to Lu's literary audience about something bigger than his own dementia.
All of the Above (They want to eat each other but at the same time they're afraid that other people are going to eat them. . . But all they'd have to do is give up that way of thinking, and then they could travel about, work, eat, and sleep in perfect security; Even though people may say, 'It's always been like this,' we can still do our best to improve. And we can start today; Save the children; If you don't change, you're going to devour each other anyway.)
The "sun never set on the British Empire" including which of the following colonies?
All of the Above (Ireland, Nigeria, Australia, Jamaica)
What is suggested by the following quotation, when the narrator says, "I felt how in that instant both were saved from despair, how they were freed from the clay, how they rose above the vultures and helicopters, how together they flew above the vast swamp of corruption and laments" (Allende 1741).
All of the Above (That Rolf and Azucena were bonded through their ordeal by their common humanity; That the vultures were both literal and metaphoric. Literally, the birds may have circled Acuzena, anticipating her death, and figuratively, vultures appeared in the form of journalists appropriating the child's suffering to bring an image of the event to the world audience; That "freed from the clay" refers both to the literal clay that is drowning Azucena, and human mortality that no human being can escape)
The appearance of the Kikapu Indian woman, who, Tita soon realizes, is the image of John's grandmother, working in her "laboratory" is important to the story because it
All of the Above (The appearance of the Kikapu Indian woman, who, Tita soon realizes, is the image of John's grandmother, working in her "laboratory" is important to the story because it)
One image that could illustrate Ts'ui Pen's labyrinth is
All of the Above (a series of parallel realities represented in a non-linear novel; The Garden of Forking Paths; hypertext; a cyclical story that has no beginning or end)
What does Yu Tsun have in his pockets?
All of the Above (an American watch; keys to Runeberg's apartment; a letter which he resolves to destroy immediately (but does not destroy); a revolver with one bullet)
Why does the Yellow Woman of the story doubt that she could be Yellow Woman, despite Silva's implication that she is?
All of the Above (because now that Grandpa is dead, no one remembers to tell those stories; She seems to view Native American folklore initially as a dead tradition, unchanging, unable to adapt to characters who drive pickup trucks and wear jeans; those stories "can't mean us" because she has a name and has been to school; two circumstances that ought to ground her in the present reality)
How does Rosaura feel towards Tita throughout the novel?
All of the Above (guilt for taking away Tita's chance at love; jealousy that her husband still has feelings for Tita; humiliation that others might see Tita and Pedro's relationship and she would look pathetic; triumphant that she was able to marry)
What are examples of ways Gregor was alienated even before he became a bug?
All of the Above (his boss sending a doctor when anyone called in sick to determine that the employee wasn't sick after all; working long hours while his family relaxed at home; his only entertainment being occasional woodwork)
What injuries does Gregor sustain while he is a bug?
All of the Above (itchy white spots on his stomach; an apple stuck in his back that creates an infection; an immobilized, possibly broken, leg a scar on his left side from being shoved through the too small doorway)
Grete feeds Gregor
All of the Above (on a newspaper; while the parents are asleep or out; a random assortment of decayed food)
The sentence "she sank slowly, a flower in the mud" (1742) suggests
All of the Above (the child's beauty and innocence in the face of poverty and natural disaster; a reference to her First Communion name, which means "lily;" that her death was brought about by human incompetence as represented by the mud which ultimately reclaims the girl's body)
Stephen Albert is a Sinologist. What is a sinologist?
An expert in Chinese culture, history and language
Which of the following characteristics render Gertrudis different from the other sisters in the de la Garza family?
B & C (she can dance and has a sense of rhythm; she is bold, daring and has leadership skills)
Gregor's father is stubborn about
B & C (wearing his uniform with gold buttons around the house; refusing to go to bed)
Why does Yu Tsun choose to spy for Germany?
Because he wanted to prove that someone of Chinese descent could be of use to the Germans.
What language is Tagore's "Punishment" written in?
Bengali
Borges narrates that as Yu Tsun follows the road to Stephen Albert's house "it went downhill slowly" (1340). How is this possible?
Borges is experimenting with dimensions in language just as Escher is experimenting with dimensions in visual art, exploring what is possible in the medium, despite not being possible in material reality.
Whom does the following quotation describe? "She was like a brand-new boat; neat and shapely, gliding with ease, not a loose joint anywhere."
Chandara
Diary of a Madman" was originally written in
Chinese
Which of the following does Mama Elena not do to cause hurt to Tita?
Destroy the crocheted blanket Tita worked on for so long
Borowski published this story as part of his nonfiction autobiography.
False
Chandara says on the witness stand that she no longer loves Chidam.
False
Despite seismographic equipment and predictions, the volcanic eruption took the people of the countryside by complete surprise. They had no idea that this eruption was coming.
False
Gertrudis becomes a cook in the Mexican revolutionary army.
False
Gregor's mother wants to move the furniture out of Gregor's room so he can run all over the walls and floor, but Grete objects that they keep the room just as he left it for when he returns.
False
Silva swears to Yellow Woman that he is not a kats'ina.
False
Tadeusz Borowski shot himself with a gun age 29 because he realized that the Communist regime which had replaced the Nazi regime was equally oppressive to free thought and liberty.
False
Tagore was an ardent, flag-waving, victory-at-all-costs Indian nationalist.
False
The idiomatic, colloquial style of the preface to "Diary of a Madman" contrasts greatly with the formal, traditional style of Chinese diction used throughout the rest of the story.
False
The narrator worries that her baby will not be cared for and that her husband will remain waiting and alone if she does not return.
False
The woman hired to clean the Samsa's apartment was terrified of Gregor and refused to work for them once she realized that Gregor lived in the apartment.
False
Tita breast feeds both her nephew Roberto and her niece Esperanza.
False
Tita's decision not to marry John represents how useless Western Science and medicine are in the world of this novel on a Mexican ranch at the turn of the century.
False
To avoid crying while cutting onions, put an onion on your shoulder.
False
Yellow Woman fears for Silva's life during the encounter with the white rancher because of the rancher's intimidating rifle.
False
Yu Tsun considers himself a brave man.
False
The Metamorphosis was originally written in
German
Which of the following of Mama Elena's daughters has a different father than the other two?
Gertrudis
What evidence does the story offer that Silva may, in fact, be a kats'ina figure?
He has intercourse with the Yellow Woman
Tagore's story can be compared to which of the following texts we have read so far?
Hedda Gabler because both texts use realism to make a statement about how class operates in human society.
Which family member does the yellow woman believe would most appreciate her story if he could hear it?
Her grandpa
What does the word "Samsa" mean in Czech?
I am alone
One of Gregor's first thoughts after he realizes that he has become a giant insect is
I can't believe my alarm didn't go off and I'll be late for work!
Which of the following are examples of the ways in which the Nazis dehumanize the people being brought into the camp?
INCORRECT (NOT ALL OF THE ABOVE) They call them "Ladies and Gentlemen;" They herd them like cattle, keeping them in a place formerly reserved for "infected horses;" They feed them in pig troughs)
How are the Nazi SS officials represented in this story?
INCORRECT (NOT OPTION A AND C) They are intellectual zealots, but not very organized or efficient; They are inhuman brutes who treat each other rudely; They are well-groomed, efficient, and speak in genteel terms; A & B
What is the difference between magic realism and fantasy fiction?
In fantasy fiction, the magic exists outside the characters, while in magic realism, the fantastic element is based on the characters' inner psyches.
The narrator of Like Water for Chocolate is
John's Granddaughter
Dukhiram kills his wife with a
Knife
What does the narrator of "Yellow Woman" decide to tell her family?
None of the Above (Nothing. She realizes it was all a dream; Nothing. She decides to remain silent; That she was kidnapped by a white man; That she was kidnapped by a Mohawk)
Yu Tsun ponders that a man can be an enemy of what only?
Other men
Which of the following foods did Chencha bring to Tita to help her begin to weep and then heal?
Oxtail Soup
The Red Cross truck is carrying
Poison gas
Borowski's "Ladies and Gentleman, to the Gas" was originally written in
Polish
Tita was inconsolable after the news of the death of [blank] her nephew.
Roberto
What does the narrator mean when she says she was "spying on them from the other side of life" (1741)?
She is witnessing their trauma, but for her, their pain is mediated by the tv cameras
Why was Rolf unable to pull Acuzena out of the mud?
She was anchored by the bodies of her brothers and sisters clinging to her.
"And of Clay Are We Created" was originally written in
Spanish
Borges's "The Garden of Forking Paths" was originally written in
Spanish
Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate was originally written in
Spanish
Why is Rolf Carlé always (previously) able to appear calm and detached when reporting on horrible news tragedies?
The lens of the cameras that filmed him gave him distance, allowing him to remain detached from the tragedy he reported on.
How does Gregor's family react to his death?
They immediately thank the Lord.
Which of the following items was not destroyed in the fire that followed Pedro and Tita's deaths?
Tita's Cookbook
"Punishment" is an example of realistic fiction that holds raising social issues as more important than beauty for its own sake.
True
Although she swept regularly in the beginning, after a while, Grete, although well aware that Gregor's room was filthy, just chose not to clean it out any more.
True
Chidam (the younger brother and husband of Chandara) falsely testified that he killed his sister-in-law because he wanted to save his wife's life.
True
Chidam and Chandara had often struggled for power in their marriage.
True
Gregor's dying thoughts are of his family and of his "deep love" for them.
True
His short story "Punishment" illustrates Tagore's fierce commitment to promoting human rights to all, not just to those of the upper castes/classes.
True
Ironically, every sort of video and television equipment was available to Rolf, but the pump that he needed to rescue Azucena could not be brought to the mudpit until after the child had perished.
True
Magic realism expresses itself much like legend does, using fantastic stories to explain an emotion or process that defies logical scientific explanation.
True
Magic realism tends to include elements of folklore from the dispossessed culture that produced it.
True
Mama Elena was afraid of heights, which explains why she did not pursue Tita up to the dovecote.
True
Mrs. Samsa begs her husband to spare Gregor's life and stop throwing apples at him when Gregor emerges from his room.
True
Ramlochan's role as adviser to his tenants illustrates how class delegates power in this rural Indian society, because Ramlochan's advice is considered valuable because he is in a position of authority.
True
Stephen Albert tells Yu Tsun "two versions of the same epic chapter" from Ts'ui Pen's book. In one ending the soldiers' scary march makes them feel reckless, so they win their battle. In the other, a festival makes them feel celebratory, so they win the battle.
True
The prisoners are naked because of the heat, but their nakedness could also be read as suggesting that they have been stripped of their clothing, the trappings of their civilization.
True
The title "Punishment" is ironic because lots of characters in this story are punished in various ways, some of them for crimes they did not commit or intend.
True
To where does Gregor retreat when someone enters his room?
Under the sofa
Gregor's transformation into a bug functions as a metaphor for what aspect of 20th century life?
alienation of people by commerce and industry
Who is Silko's audience for this "folk tale" story?
all English-speaking audiences; she is representing Native American culture as being living and thriving
Identify the central literary image in the following quotation, "That night, imperceptibly, the unyielding floodgates that had contained Rolf Carlé's past for so many years began to open, and the torrent of all that had lain hidden in the deepest and most secret layers of memory poured out, leveling before it the obstacles that had blocked his consciousness for so long" (Allende 1740).
erupting volcano
What solution does Lu Xun's diarist propose to end cannibalism in his time?
he will convert them to change their suspicious attitudes, so that instead of destroying each other, they will live in harmony
Rosauro's bad breath and flatulence could be seen as symbolic of
her jealousy of her husband's admiration of Tita fermenting and poisoning her inner soul
Grete indicates that she has stopped thinking of the roach as her brother when she refers to him using the pronoun [blank] instead of "him."
it
The river, the site of their sexual liaison, is significant in this story because
it represents a metaphorical boundary between the human and spirit worlds
When the boys offer Ys Tsun instructions to get to Dr. Stephen Albert's house, they remind him to keep turning [blank] at every crossroads.
left
How were the Rui brothers paid for their back-breaking work in the rice paddies?
mainly with insults and sneers
Although Silko appears to be trying to employ an storytelling technique that attempts to replicate Native American oral tradition, when the white rancher interrupts the couple, he also interrupts the story. This reveals that
that as appealing as the myth is, and as desirable as it is to preserve traditional Native American literary culture, white culture does interrupt, but there's no reason that can't become part of the story, because historically, white culture did interrupt traditional Native American culture.
What excuse does Basho make to the prostitutes regarding why they may not accompany the pilgrims on part of their journey?
that he and Sora will be making frequent stops
When the Greek prisoners ask if they are going to be forced to work, they are told, "Nix. Transport kommen, alles Krematorium, compris?" The blend of languages in this sentence indicates what?
that the inhabitants of the camp had been brought in from all over Europe so their handlers used a kind of "Esperanto" hybrid of languages to make themselves understood
What types of alienation does The Metamorphosis address? Choose all answers that apply.
the alienation of bugs from the animal world; the alienation of human beings from each other in a post-Industrial Revolution society; the alienation of an individual from a family that doesn't value him)
The narrator is revolted to the point of vomiting by the prisoners he processes because
they are so hungry, terrified, and desperate that they act like animals
One action that causes Gregor to feel dehumanized is
when his mother expresses concern that they not move his furniture in his room
