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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. What is the redhead's perception of Jaromil's interest in her?
2. Why does the blond girl wear a beautiful white dress to the dance hall?
3. Why does Maman not want to go to the lake on vacation?
4. Why does Maman weep as the artist makes love to her?
5. In the opinion of Jaromil's uncle, why did the revolution occur?
Short Essay Questions
1. When the artist explains the red and brown painting to Maman, what is her response? How does this set the tone for the rest of their relationship?
2. Why is Maman angry at Jaromil because of her love life? Is her anger justified?
3. "He [Jaromil] was searching for immensity. His life was hopeless, small, everything around him was flat, gray" (Part 3, Chapter 8, pg 104). How does Kundera's presentation of the novel prove this to be true?
4. At the debate in Part 3, Chapter 15, what arguments does Jaromil make about progress? Given his own life, how are these views ironic?
5. How does the artist's concept of an "inner world" (Part 1, Chapter 6, pg 30) dramatically change Jaromil's character?
6. What does Xavier notice most about the woman in the apartment? How does the woman use her eyes?
7. How does Jaromil view the loss of his virginity as a metaphysical event? Is his perception true?
8. Why does Xavier leave the woman behind at the end of Part 2?
9. Why is Jaromil attracted to the dark-haired girl? What does this attraction show about his development as a character?
10. While Jaromil is still a child, how does Maman prepare him for success as a writer? How does her preparation, paradoxically, also prepare him for failure?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
How does the beautiful blond girl's death prefigure Jaromil's own death? How have both people been betrayed by Xavier?
Essay Topic 2
What is the setting of the novel? How does this establish the story? How might the story be different in another setting?
Essay Topic 3
Though the idea of running does not appear until the end of Part III, how is it present throughout the book? How does the desire to run guide many choices that the characters make?
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This section contains 1,850 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) |
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