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Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who is Pashka?
2. What does the narrator's dad begin doing?
3. What does the narrator want of Mr. Bond?
4. What does the narrator need in order to obtain a French passport?
5. What does the narrator recount to Pashka?
Short Essay Questions
1. What does Charlotte tell the narrator about death?
2. Why does the narrator think he is being accepted by his classmates, what does he see as the three types of cliques in a crowd and how does his acceptance affect his writing?
3. What story does the narrator relate to Pashka?
4. What does the narrator realize concerning his grandmother and France?
5. What does the narrator do upon returning from Russia?
6. What do the narrator and Pashka do on their fishing trips?
7. Who is the only person in the narrator's class who treats him kindly?
8. Why does the narrator feel guilty concerning his grandmother?
9. What does the narrator begin to learn in Chapter 12 in class to protect the fatherland and how does he feel about the process of learning this?
10. What does the narrator feel when he is staying in the tombs and what symptoms did he think he had?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Over the course of "Dreams of My Russian Summers", the narrator grows as a person in both complexity and understanding. Dreams of My Russian Summers might be considered a slice of the narrator's larger story of his "coming of age." It might be said that Dreams of My Russian Summers is a "bildungsroman" of the narrator. Discuss the following:
1. Define Bildungsroman, or "Coming of Age," and give several examples from literature you have read.
2. Trace and analyze the character of the narrator as he changes from a more carefree, innocent boy to a wiser, young man. What are the significant events that change him?
3. After thoroughly analyzing the narrator's growth throughout "Dreams of My Russian Summers", do you think "Dreams of My Russian Summers" could be considered the narrator's Coming of Age story? Why or why not?
4. Are there any other characters in "Dreams of My Russian Summers" who go through a Coming of Age experience? Who? Why do you think so?
Essay Topic 2
Choose one of the following to discuss:
1. Choose two significant symbols and trace and analyze their appearance in "Dreams of My Russian Summers'. Are these universal symbols? Would they be understood in any culture? Are there other symbols that would portray the same idea? What are they? Why do you think Makine chooses the symbols he does?
2. Choose two important metaphors and trace and analyze their appearance in the novel. Are these universal metaphors? Would they be understood in any culture? Are there other metaphors that would portray the same idea? What are they? Why do you think Makine chooses the metaphors he does?
3. Discuss Makine's use (or lack ) of literary device (such as foreshadowing, cliffhangers, deux ex machina, etc.), and how they add or detract from the story. Does Alexie use too many or too little literary techniques? State which of the five major elements of fiction the literary device is related to (style, character, plot, setting, theme).
Essay Topic 3
The narration creates a sense of mystery, engaging the reader in the narrator's quest for truth. In this case, there are two different truths - what happened to Charlotte, and where does the narrator fit?
1. Explain what you think the above statements mean. Use examples from the text to support your answer.
2. Using just the text from the first chapter, argue whether the search for who is Charlotte is the most important aspect of the story or the problems of who the narrator is.
3. Explain what about the sense of mystery in the first chapter goaded you to continue reading the book. Use examples from the text to support your answer.
This section contains 1,291 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) |
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