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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. Why does Charlotte's father take off in his carriage?

2. To what does the narrator admit when discussing his grandmother's descriptions of France?

3. What two worlds does the narrator become obsessed with as far as their having a meal together?

4. What type of collection does the narrator recall unwrapping with his sister?

5. What does Albertine's family not understand?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Albertine retreat?

2. What is the narrator allowed to do when he is 14?

3. How does Charlotte end up returning to Russia and what is her response when she arrives there?

4. What story captures the narrator's imagination concerning Tsar Nicholas II?

5. What happens when the narrator and his sister go for oranges?

6. What is Charlotte's relationship to Gavrilych?

7. Where does the narrator go for the summer and what is a tale she relates to the narrator on his first night there?

8. What happens each time Albertine and Charlotte return to Russia from France?

9. About what do others continue to speculate?

10. What impresses the narrator about his maternal grandfather?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "Dreams of My Russian Summers". Questions that Makine most likely want readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Makine's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Makine's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Makine and see if/where his life may have influenced his writing.

Essay Topic 2

Many novels, and perhaps a majority, of novels ends on a happy note. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think many (most?) people want what they perceive as a happy or good ending to a novel? Explain your opinion. Do you? Why or why not?

2. What are three reasons to read fiction? Discuss each one in light of "Dreams of My Russian Summers" and whether or not it fulfills all three, two or one of the reasons you mention. Give examples as to why "Dreams of My Russian Summers" is or is not successful in fulfilling the reasons you discuss.

3. Do you think reading solely for entertainment is as good a reason to read as any other? Why or why not? Can any work of fiction or non-fiction, no matter how poorly written, enlighten, teach, stimulate thought? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Upon returning to Russia, the narrator dives into books about France and French history, spending entire days lost in the dust-covered volumes of the public library. His interest in French history has taken his attention away from other childhood things like sports and movies, which has made him a target for bullies in his school. The only person who treats the narrator kindly is a young man in school everyone considers to be a dunce. The narrator's position as an outsider in his school is important to note because the entire novel surrounds the narrator's struggle to discover where he fits in in the world - is he Russian or is he French?

1. Why do you think the narrator became so deeply immerged in studying France and French history? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

2. Do you think that a student who is very different from his or her classmates is always bullied or ostracized? Why or why not? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

3. Why do you think it was so important to the narrator to figure out if he fit into society in Russia or in France? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

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