View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which condition best describes Flaubert at his death?
(a) Wealthy and unknown.
(b) Impoverished and lonely.
(c) Wealthy and famous.
(d) Impoverished but loved.

2. Flaubert was born in what year?
(a) 1800.
(b) 1875.
(c) 1825.
(d) 1850.

3. Who actually carried out the trick that resulted in Flaubert's find at the top of the Great Pyramid?
(a) Du Camp.
(b) The translator.
(c) Flaubert.
(d) Nabakov.

4. For what reason does Geoffrey say that he does not like coincidences?
(a) Because he feels that coincidences rob people of their sense of control.
(b) Because coincidences make him feel uncomfortable.
(c) Because he agrees with Flaubert's opinion on the subject.
(d) Because he prefers to feel that life is chaotic.

5. What did Geoffrey do to ascertain the color of Madame Bovary's eyes?
(a) He read the original manuscript.
(b) He asked the guest lecturer.
(c) He researched Flaubert's notes.
(d) He reread the book.

6. What do Du Camp and Flaubert do the night before climbing the Great Pyramid?
(a) They get drunk.
(b) They take photographs.
(c) They sleep beside it.
(d) They research its history.

7. When they were lowering Caroline's coffin into the ground, what happened?
(a) It got stuck.
(b) The pall bearers dropped it.
(c) The church bells began to peal.
(d) Flaubert cried out.

8. What are Geoffrey's thoughts about when he likes to cross the channel?
(a) In the winter.
(b) During the off-season.
(c) In the summer.
(d) When it is foggy.

9. What had Ed lied about to the woman named Kent who gave him the letters?
(a) The authenticity of the letters.
(b) His identity.
(c) His occupation.
(d) The worth of the letters.

10. What does Geoffrey do on his last day in Rouen?
(a) He outlines his new book.
(b) He photographs the statues.
(c) He drives to Croisset.
(d) He eats at a snack bar called Le Flaubert.

11. Geoffrey maintains that mistakes like the professor pointed out in his speech are external mistakes, but Geoffrey is more concerned with internal mistakes which he considers to be what?
(a) Sloppy.
(b) Untrue.
(c) Something designed to keep the reader alert.
(d) Philosophically unsound.

12. Why does Geoffrey say that we cannot know everything about the past?
(a) Because it would be impossible to take in everything.
(b) Because much of history has never been written down.
(c) Because historians have conflicting ideas about the past.
(d) Because it would confuse us.

13. What should novelists who want to reproduce life's possibilities do?
(a) They should write in teams.
(b) They should base their ideas on relgious books.
(c) They should put a set of sealed envelopes with different endings in the back of their books.
(d) They should only draw their ideas from real events.

14. Where does Geoffrey first meet Ed Winterton?
(a) At a friend's home.
(b) At a bar.
(c) At the university.
(d) At a book fair.

15. Flaubert refers to himself as a bear and his sister as what animal?
(a) The lion.
(b) The rabbit.
(c) The rat.
(d) The alligator.

Short Answer Questions

1. About a year after their first meeting, Geoffrey agrees to meet with Ed for what reason?

2. What did Ed originally intend to do with the letters?

3. How does Flaubert feel about the organization of his ideas?

4. Who was the owner of the dog that Flaubert took for walks and kissed?

5. In the story, "Un coeur simple," what is Felicite's occupation?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 589 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample