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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. How does Aschenbach look, physically?

2. While Aschenbach takes his walk at the beginning of Part One, the streets of the city are _______.

3. Aschenbach's childhood is characterized by _______.

4. What characterizes Aschenbach's daydream?

5. How aware is Aschenbach of his own mortality?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Aschenbach comforted by the idea of a quarantine?

2. Why does Aschenbach return to the chapel? What is he hoping for?

3. What about Tadzio does Aschenbach use for his writing? How does Aschenbach feel about writing this way?

4. What is peculiar about one of the young men on the boat? Why does this upset Aschenbach?

5. Why is Aschenbach excited about the possibility of Tadzio staying in Venice through the quarantine?

6. How does Aschenbach experience the morning? What are the metaphors he uses?

7. What happened to Aschenbach's wife? What is his family situation now?

8. What does Aschenbach pride himself on?

9. How does the gondola play into the series of deathlike images and foreshadowing?

10. What were Aschenbach's parent's professions and how have they influenced Achenbach?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the similarities between Aschenbach and Tadzio? Why is he pleased with this unlikely resemblance? What about this relationship wears down Aschenbach's self-esteem, yet builds up his self-importance?

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the three positions to argue:

1) Aschenbach's diligence is close to religious observance.

2) Aschenbach gradually transforms into a religious man.

3) Aschenbach began as an ethical man but transforms into a degenerate.

Essay Topic 3

"Death In Venice" uses outside information and references to build up the vividness of the scene, story, and characters.

1) Explore Mann's use of Greek mythology and figures.

2) Explore Mann's use of outside, unexplained references (psychology, philosophy, politics, etc.)

3) Argue whether or not the book would have been complete without an understanding of this outside information. Argue whether or not it is a crutch.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 711 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample