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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. What does Mr. Kloterjahn do immediately after arriving at Einfried?

2. It becomes apparent that Mr. Spinell's letter is addressed to…

3. What does Mr. Spinell say he can picture on Gabriele’s head?

4. Where do the people who choose not to participate in the activity Dr. Leander plans go instead?

5. How does Mr. Kloterjahn say he responded to Mr. Spinell’s letter?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dr. Muller recommend in Chapter 9?

2. How does Mr. Kloterjahn say that he will get even with Mr. Spinell after Mr. Spinell's letter?

3. According to Mr. Klotejahn in Chapter 11, what were Gabriele and her friends really doing in the garden by the fountain?

4. What does Mr. Spinell see on his walk at the end of the book?

5. How do we know that playing the piano has put a strain on Gabriele Kloterjahn?

6. Why do Mrs. Kloterjahn and Mr. Spinell choose to stay back from the sleigh ride?

7. In Chapter 10, how does Mr. Spinell say that he feels about Mr. Kloterjahn?

8. Why do the baby’s happiness and health disturb Mr. Spinell?

9. What does Dr. Leander recommend as treatment for Gabriele’s worsening condition?

10. What has caused Gabriele’s condition to worsen in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novella takes place entirely in Einfried, a sanitarium. Why did Mann choose this setting for his novella? How might the novella be different if the setting were changed? What significance does the sanitarium have for the novella? What does it represent?

Essay Topic 2

Examine Mr. Spinell’s character and how he embodies the major themes in Tristan. How does Mann characterize Mr. Spinell? What commentary does Mann seem to be making about artists through the character of Mr. Spinell? What commentary does he seem to be making about society in general?

Essay Topic 3

At Einfried, most of the patients are tubercular. What significance does tuberculosis have for the novella? Why did Mann choose this particular disease to inflict on Gabriele Kloterjahn? How does the disease relate to Mann’s interpretation of the concepts of art and the artist? How does the story arc correspond to the progression of Gabriele’s illness?

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