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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 distance do for Marketa's attitude toward her mother-in-law?

2. What is Kundera hired to write for a political magazine?

3. What does Karel do on the phone?

4. What will Clementis later be considered?

5. What does Marketa not know about Eva and Karel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What situation in Kundera's personal past does he discuss after writing about laughter?

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

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

4. What does this Kundera say about our collective past?

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

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. What is the meaning of laughter in part 3?

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

9. What is remembered about Clementis?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

THE BOOK OF LAUGHTER AND FORGETTING could be considered a collection of short stories related thematically. Discuss one of the following:

1. Discuss the theme of laughter as it occurs in three of the parts. Analyze the theme and create a thesis about laughter with which you think Kundera would agree.

2. There is a saying, "Laughter is the Best Medicine." Agree or disagree with this statement as far as this book is concerned.

3. Discuss for which of the characters laughter is important and why. Give specific examples.

Essay Topic 2

In Part 4, the main character (as deemed by Kundera later in the novel) is introduced. She is one of the two or three fictionalized characters that Kundera assumes are born every second on earth. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think Kundera means by the statement above?

2. Do you think Kundera is advocating for or against writers and the characters they create? Explain fully.

3. If Tamina is a fictionalized character, do you think she is a symbol of some concept in Kundera's experiences? What do you think she represents? Explain fully.

4. Kundera thinks of Tamina as the main character. Why do you think he sees her as the main character? Of what--the book? A couple parts of the book?

Essay Topic 3

In Part 4, Kundera describes graphomania, which is the obsessive drive to write a book. In order for this condition to exist, the people in the society must have an elevated sense of well-being, an absence of dramatic events in their life and a general isolation between individuals. Discuss the following:

1. Research the term graphomania and explain it fully.

2. Do you think all writers suffer from graphomania?

3. From what compulsion do writers that do not come from countries with the conditions listed above write?

4. Do you think Kundera suffers from graphomania?

(see the answer keys)

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