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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. According to the janitor's son, why do policemen like to read poetry?
2. Why does Jaromil agree to read in the presentation of poets?
3. Why is Jaromil jealous of the redhead?
4. Just outside the prison, why does the girl hate to see the horses and riders?
5. At Jaromil's sick bed, what words link Maman most closely to him, in her mind?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does Jaromil feel while he is visiting the janitor's son at the police station? What does this say about his personal growth?
2. In planning the documentary about Jaromil's life, what do Maman and Jaromil reveal about themselves? What do they reveal about their relationship?
3. When the girl visits the middle-aged man, she is wearing winter clothes. What does this detail reveal about the timing in the story?
4. As it is painfully revealed in Part 5, Chapters 4 - 6, why do Maman and Jaromil struggle to live together? What does this say about their relationship as mother and son?
5. What arguments do Jaromil and the redhead have concerning their families? How does this illustrate Jaromil's juvenile mindset?
6. After a period of estrangement from Maman, why is Jaromil ready to make peace with her? How do the two of them have very different perceptions of this reconciliation?
7. The group of poets, Jaromil among them, is invited to speak at the police academy in the countryside. What is the irony of this situation and what does it say about the ideals they espouse?
8. What happens when Jaromil recites his poems to the audience of police members? How does this compare to the hopes he has had?
9. Kundera says that the young person can be so loyally devoted to an idea because he believes in absolutes (Part 5, Chapter 6, pg 220). How does this fit with Jaromil's personality?
10. During the party at the cinematography girl's apartment, how does Jaromil's clothing reflect his state of mind?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What significance is there in the dialogue? The author records more conversations between Jaromil and his mother than between any other people. How does this affect the reader's perception of their relationship?
Essay Topic 2
What interaction do the characters have with nature? When is nature kind and when is it cruel? How much responsibility does nature bear for actions in the characters' lives (i.e., the boulder, the park, the snow, and the cold wind).
Essay Topic 3
What role does guilt play in Jaromil's life? How does Maman use guilt, and how is she susceptible to it herself?
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This section contains 1,973 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) |
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