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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. Mayle is invited by a bookstore owner to hold a book signing in ______________ during the film festival.

2. How does Peter almost lose Michel?

3. After returning home from the pharmacy with several mundane purchases--toothpaste and suntan lotion--Peter finds a brochure in his bag which discusses the problem of ___________________, which apparently is quite a prevalent condition among the French.

4. The party will be held in picturesque ______________ and the guests will arrive by horse and carriage provided by local chef and friend, Maurice, who will also be providing the gourmet food.

5. The card has his age in ____________ numerals.

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Peter get involved in this world of truffles?

2. Describe the picnic area. How might this compare to Peter's experience in London?

3. How does Mayle's wife first come across Boy? How does this first encounter lead her to act? How do you feel about her behavior?

4. What happens to Faustin? How does he feel about this?

5. What is Peter's opinion of picnics? Why?

6. What does Mayle say about the life of a writer?

7. Describe Peter's birthday card. Why might he have been given this?

8. How does the language barrier lead to humor in this chapter?

9. Why does Mayle's wife bring the dog home? Should she have done this? Why or why not?

10. What does Peter ask about tasting the wine? Why does he ask this? How does Michel respond? Why might Michel respond this way?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Peter's wife has an interest in dogs.

Part 1) How is this interest revealed? How does this interest affect and influence events in the story? What is the purpose of including these details? What do these details reveal about the author, his wife, and others in the story?

Part 2) In what is Peter interested? How do you know this? How do his interests compare to those of his wife? How do these interests affect his behavior throughout the book?

Part 3) What are your own interests? How do they compare to those of the Mayles? How can you use your own interests to relate to the interests of the Mayles and events in this book?

Essay Topic 2

Provence suffers from a terrible drought.

Part 1) Describe this drought. How is the region affected by this drought? How is this drought tied to other stories within this book?

Part 2) In what other ways is Provence connected with nature? How important is nature, the environment, and weather to life in Provence? Explain.

Part 3) How does this drought affect the Mayles? How else is nature an important part of the Mayle's lives, now that they live in Provence? Is nature, the environment, and weather significantly important in your own life? If so, how and why? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

The Mayles have many unique experiences while living in Provence.

Part 1) Describe four of these unique experiences. Compare these experiences. How is one experience tied to the next? What is the purpose of telling the reader about these experiences? How does each experience support the author's purpose for writing this book?

Part 2) How do these experiences affect the reader? Do these stories make the book more engaging? Why or why not? Are all of these stories necessary? Why or why not?

Part 3) Describe a unique experience in your own life. How did it affect you? Are you still affected by it? Why or why not? How does your own unique experience compare to those of the Mayles?

(see the answer keys)

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