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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 is Mirek being followed?

2. What happens to Mirek when he and Zdena break up?

3. Who are Michelle and Gabrielle?

4. What does Mirek say about Zdena's age?

5. Where does Kundera remember a number of historical events happening?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is upsetting about Mama's visit and why doesn't Marketa do anything about it?

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

3. What does Marketa contemplate doing with Eva near the end of the chapter?

4. What is it that Marketa does not know about Eva and do you think Marketa would care at this point if she learned this?

5. Why does Mirek want his old love letters back from Zdena and do you think his goal is possible?

6. What does Kundera say about laughter in response to Michelle and Gabrielle's laughter?

7. What is Zdena response to Mirek's request for his letters and do you think she is being fair to Mirek?

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

9. What is the meaning of laughter in part 3?

10. How does Marketa meet Eva and how does the relationship evolve to include Karel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Part 2, "Mama," when Marketa learns of Karel's next date with a mistress, both she and Karel are angry. Discuss the following:

1. Discuss why you think both Karel and Marketa are angry.

2. How strong can a relationship be if both feel the need to have sexual liaisons with someone else? Explain fully.

3. Do you think Marketa and Karel's relationship can be salvaged? Explain fully.

Essay Topic 2

In Part 1, the narrator says that Mirek has always been ashamed of Zdena for the simple fact that she is ugly. Much of this book deals with sexual relationships. Discuss one of the following:

1. Do you think Mirek's attitude about a woman's attractiveness is fairly universal? Why or why not? Discuss his attitude and then expand on that.

2. What do you think is the basis of the relationship between Marketa and Karel? Do you think they have a fairly "typical" relationship?

3. Do men base relationships on different criteria than women? Use examples from the book and your personal knowledge.

Essay Topic 3

This "novel" is more a text of ideas than action. Discuss one of the following ideas:

1. In part 6: "The Angels," Kundera writes that Hubl remarks that you can "liquidate its people" by erasing their memory of their previous culture. Discuss this idea in context of the book.

2. In part 6: "The Angels," Kundera blurs the historical moments of Clementis and Gottwald, Kafta and the President heretofore referred to as the Presdient of Forgetting, Svoboda. Discuss this blurring of historical moments in context of the book.

3. Discuss the idea that despite hundreds of thousands of lives being influenced and changed, the history of the world is easily forgotten. (From Part 1: "Lost Letters")

(see the answer keys)

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