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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. In "Place-Names, The Place: Part I," why can't the narrator talk to M. de Stermaria's daughter?

2. In the hotel in Balbec, how will the narrator get his grandmother's attention?

3. Whose autographed letters does the narrator's grandmother buy for Saint-Loup as a going away present?

4. In Balbec, why does the manager of the hotel frighten the narrator?

5. What does Alix think of Mme. de Villeparisis's picture of the Duchesse?

Short Essay Questions

1. What argument does the narrator get into with Bloch in Balbec?

2. What happens the first time the narrator sees the group of six girls in "Seascap, with Frieze of Girls"?

3. How does Francoise act during the grandmother's illness?

4. What happens the first time the narrator meets Albertine?

5. What treatments are recommended for the grandmother in "Guermantes Way, Part I continued"?

6. While in Balbec, what upsets the narrator about running into the Marquise de Villeparisis?

7. Why does the narrator want Saint-Loup to talk to Mme. Guermantes in "Guermantes Way, Part I"?

8. While in Balbec, how does Francoise react to Mme. de Villeparisis?

9. What does the narrator do the first time he meets Gisele?

10. Which of Elstir's paintings catches the attention of the narrator in "Seascape, with Frieze of Girls"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the major events that occur while the narrator and his grandmother travel to Balbec. Select three places they visit and explain the importance of each. What do these places symbolize? What happens there that changes this novel? What is so significant about Balbec?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator is almost always preoccupied with social class standing. Explain the cause and effect of this obsession. Why is social class such an important issue? How does the narrator resolve his desire to raise his class?

Essay Topic 3

How does Vinteuil's sonata work a symbol in this novel? What other pieces of music are symbolic? How do these symbols help to create the characters and plot?

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