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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. How does the narrator's family react to Uncle Adolphe's friends?

2. What happens when Swann goes to meet Odette at Prevost's Restaurant?

3. What does the narrator dream about when he walks on Guermantes Way?

4. What does Swann consider after hearing a song played on the piano at the Verdurin's?

5. In "Overture," what does the narrator's grandmother buy him for his birthday?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Combray," why does the narrator want to meet M. Swann's daughter?

2. What does Gilberte do in "Place-Names" that makes the narrator think she is indifferent towards him?

3. What happens the first two times Swann visits Odette's house?

4. What does the narrator do every day at Champs-Elysees in "Place-Names"?

5. What makes Bergotte see the narrator as an intellectual?

6. In "Mme. Swann at Home," what happens to the narrator's writing?

7. What does the anonymous letter Swann receives at the end of "Swann In Love" say?

8. What happens on New Year's Even in "Mme. Swann at Home"?

9. In "Overture," how do the narrator's aunts treat M. Swann?

10. What does Gilberte do in "Place-Names" that makes the narrator think she might like him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Illness is a major part of the narrator's life and the lives of several other characters. How are these illnesses used to develop the plot and characters? What do the illnesses represent? Why does the author used illness in these situations?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator struggles with his career as a writer in this novel, receiving advice from friends, family, and even the famous author, Bergotte. Describe the narrator's relationship with his writing and how it develops throughout the novel. How does the narrator's art of writing compare with the art of other characters? What does this mean in a novel considered to be semi-autobiographical?

Essay Topic 3

Many members of the narrator's family are very cold to each other. Describe specific events that support this idea and explain the impact it has on the family. How does the grandmother's death play into this? How would you characterize the relationships within the narrator's family?

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