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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 speed is the coach moving along its journey to Totes in "Boule de Suif"?

2. What do boat-men and fishermen often haul to the surface in "Boule de Suif"?

3. In the beginning of "Boule de Suif," what are the "Avengers of Defeat," "Citizens of the Tomb," and "Brethren in Death."

4. The soldiers advanced in what kind of fashion in the beginning of "Boule de Suif"?

5. Who breaks their jug on the table in indignation at the Prussian officer's request regarding Boule de Suif?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Madame Loiseau mean when she remarks to her husband on their way to bed regarding Madame Carre-Lamadon that she "laughed on the wrong side of her mouth all evening"?

2. What does Monsieur Loiseau reveal to the group about the "mysteries of the corridor" regarding Boule de Suif, and what does their response indicate?

3. How do the other female passengers respond to Boule de Suif's political views in the coach from Rouen and why?

4. How do the women converse about Boule de Suif and the Prussian and what does it signify?

5. How does Boule de Suif respond to the Prussian's inquiry about whether or not she has changed her mind, and why is it significant?

6. What is the weather like as the passengers wait for the coach to be ready and how is it significant?

7. What are Cornudet's political views and why are they significant?

8. What does Boule de Suif remember in the coach as the passengers eat their lunch without sharing it with her at the end of "Boule de Suif" and why is it significant?

9. What do the passengers begin to call Boule de Suif in order to persuade her to sleep with the Prussian officer?

10. How do the women on the coach treat Boule de Suif on the first leg of their journey and why is it significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss authorial point of view in the story.

1) What are Maupassant's views on his characters?

2) Who does he sympathize with, and why?

3) How does the tone and choice of words reveal the authorial point of view?

Essay Topic 2

Food is critical in the story. Discuss how the characters both come together and are divided during meal times.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the notion of heroism is portrayed in the story. What makes Boule de Suif a heroine?

(see the answer keys)

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