View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Serge, how has the incident at the ATM affected Rick?

2. How much does Paul believe Claire knows about the boys' involvement in the incident?

3. What message does the poster of the cell phone video leave at the end of the clip on the internet?

4. During the meeting with his principal, what does Paul consider doing?

5. On the night of the news broadcast, what does Paul suggest while talking with Michel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What advice does Paul give to Michel in Chapter 23? Why?

2. What response does Claire have as she and Paul watch the surveillance video on television?

3. How is Beau's behavior compared with that of Michel and Rick in the scenario presented in Chapter 21?

4. What has Paul prepared for dinner when Serge and Babette visit while Claire is in the hospital? Why?

5. What is a flashback? How are flashbacks used in The Dinner?

6. What effects does Paul's medication have on him?

7. How does Paul deal with Michel while Claire is ill?

8. What treatment does Paul receive for his medical condition?

9. What happens with Paul and the owner of the bike shop?

10. What does Paul suggest Michel do about the cell phone in Chapter 26?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of Paul as an example of an unreliable narrator. What aspects of Paul's narrative come into question? Why? How would this novel differ if Paul were a reliable narrator, or if the story were related from a third-person perspective?

Essay Topic 2

Explore to lengths parents will go to protect/defend their children. Do the parents in the novel represent the norm? Why or why not? Do you think that the parents' actions are justified in this story?

Essay Topic 3

The meal in The Dinner is delivered in courses meant to develop a sense of anticipation in the diners. Write an essay exploring the novel's use of the dinner courses as an ongoing symbol. How does the meal motif echo the reading experience? How does the course-oriented structure mirror the escalating tensions over the course of the evening? What was the author attempting to communicate by organizing the novel this way?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 925 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample