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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. Where do Charlotte and her children see a great many mutilated bodies?

2. To where do the narrator and his sister return?

3. Why does Charlotte's father take off in his carriage?

4. With what group of Russians is the narrator's grandmother similar in age?

5. What is one of the narrator's grandmother's most prized possessions?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator say his grandmother does when the narrator looks at the photo of the scruffy woman?

2. What happens after Fyodor is arrested?

3. What does the narrator say about what makes French women alluring in photographs?

4. What happens when Charlotte meets up with a soldier while she is on her way to Boyarsk?

5. What happens each time Albertine and Charlotte return to Russia from France?

6. What is one of the childhood memories of Charlotte's that has left an impact on the narrator?

7. About what do others continue to speculate?

8. Why does the narrator break into his grandmother's Siberian Suitcase?

9. How does Charlotte end up returning to Russia and what is her response when she arrives there?

10. What story captures the narrator's imagination concerning Tsar Nicholas II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Upon returning to Russia, the narrator dives into books about France and French history, spending entire days lost in the dust-covered volumes of the public library. His interest in French history has taken his attention away from other childhood things like sports and movies, which has made him a target for bullies in his school. The only person who treats the narrator kindly is a young man in school everyone considers to be a dunce. The narrator's position as an outsider in his school is important to note because the entire novel surrounds the narrator's struggle to discover where he fits in in the world - is he Russian or is he French?

1. Why do you think the narrator became so deeply immerged in studying France and French history? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

2. Do you think that a student who is very different from his or her classmates is always bullied or ostracized? Why or why not? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

3. Why do you think it was so important to the narrator to figure out if he fit into society in Russia or in France? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Many novels, and perhaps a majority, of novels ends on a happy note. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think many (most?) people want what they perceive as a happy or good ending to a novel? Explain your opinion. Do you? Why or why not?

2. What are three reasons to read fiction? Discuss each one in light of "Dreams of My Russian Summers" and whether or not it fulfills all three, two or one of the reasons you mention. Give examples as to why "Dreams of My Russian Summers" is or is not successful in fulfilling the reasons you discuss.

3. Do you think reading solely for entertainment is as good a reason to read as any other? Why or why not? Can any work of fiction or non-fiction, no matter how poorly written, enlighten, teach, stimulate thought? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

"Dreams of My Russian Summers" belongs to the fictional memoir genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the fictional memoir genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a fictional memoir and a historical novel?

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