Life behind the Iron Curtain

Source 1

In the passage, Milosz is reacting most directly to which of the following aspects of life in Communist Eastern Europe?

• The collectivization of land & the nationalization of means of production

• Communist control over the visual and performing arts

• The economic and military dependence on the Soviet Union

• The oppressive political system and pervasive internal surveillance

Source 1

Which of the following was most directly responsible for changes to the social conditions described by the author?

• The 1980 election of American President Ronald Reagan

• The enacting of new reform minded policies within areas of Soviet influence

• Renewed interest in religious revival in the Soviet Union

• A lack of soviet military support in the suppression of worker protests throughout Poland

Source 1

Which of the following would most directly challenge Milosz's assessment in the third paragraph of the impact of communism on the human psyche?

• The declaration of martial law by the communist regime

• The limited extent of the de-stalinization program launched by Khrushchev in 1956

• The failure of the 1968 "Prague Spring" protests against communist rule in Czechoslovakia

• Popular support for the Polish Workers opposition movement in 1989

Source 1

All of the following statements about Milosz are accurate. Which one would be most useful in identifying the intended audience of this work?

• Milosz' claim of dual identity as both Lithuanian and Polish

• Milosz' work as a diplomat for the communist government of postwar Poland from 1946 to 1951

• Milosz' defection to the West and grant of political asylum in France in 1951

• Milosz' emigration to the US in 1960, as a University Professor

Source 1

Which of the following is likely most accurate regarding the conditions in Poland at the time of the publication of this work?

• The failure of central Soviet economic planning had led to economic stagnation

• Having followed the Soviet model for rapid industrialization, Poland had reached economic maturity by 1953

• Polish workers movements had begun to oppose Communist rule

• Independence movements of other Eastern Bloc nations were rapidly gaining popularity among Polish workers