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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Michelle and Gabrielle's laughter elicit?
(a) A hushing noise from another person.
(b) A more in-depth discussion of laughter.
(c) A slap from Sister Maria who is teaching the class.
(d) A grimace from Madame Raphael.

2. What are Eva, Karel and Marketa doing when Mama is in her room?
(a) Singing karaoke.
(b) Shooting darts.
(c) Drinking.
(d) Playing cards.

3. After leaving the ring, what does Kundera do?
(a) He wanders the streets outside of the rings of celebrants.
(b) He defects to Britian.
(c) He moves to the USSR.
(d) He moves to Budapest.

4. What does Zdena urge Mirek to do?
(a) Leave the country.
(b) Reconcile with her.
(c) Make a deal with his political party.
(d) Get a job.

5. What does distance do for Marketa's attitude toward her mother-in-law?
(a) It softens Marketa's perspective on her mother-in-law.
(b) It gives her the perspective to be able to forgive the mother-in-law.
(c) Nothing.
(d) It makes her more determined to steer clear of her mother-in-law.

Short Answer Questions

1. What might the person fired have lost?

2. To whom does Marketa introduce Eva?

3. Who does Karel picture in his mind when he, Marketa and Eva are together later?

4. Why does Marketa begin to write her mother-in-law?

5. Where does Eva meet Marketa?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the fur hat symbolic?

2. How does Marketa's feelings towards her mother-in-law change over time?

3. Why do you think Kundera agrees to write an astrology column?

4. How would the relationship between Marketa and Karel change if Marketa cheats on him with Eva and her husband?

5. Where does Mirek stop and why is that problematic?

6. Why does Kundera quit dancing and what does he imagine about the dancing? Of what do you think his imagining about the dancing is symbolic?

7. Why do you think Marketa asks Eva to pretend she is Marketa's cousin?

8. What is the difference between how Mama views memory versus how Karel and Marketa do?

9. What happens when Mirek arrives back home and how is this somewhat ironic?

10. What do Kundera and other students do around 1948 and why? Do you think Kundera is speaking metaphorically or actuality.

(see the answer keys)

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