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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Tadzio wearing when Aschenbach first sees him?

2. At the beginning of Part Three, how long until Aschenbach embarks to Pola?

3. What captivates Aschenbach about the boy in the hotel lobby?

4. In Part Four, Aschenbach begins to believe that Tadzio is _________ of Aschenbach's feelings.

5. How does Aschenbach feel about his decision to stay in Venice?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are no active female characters in "Death In Venice," only Aschenbach's deceased wife and Tadzio's mother and sisters. What is the significance of such a large amount of male characters? How does this contribute to the theme of Aschenbach's feelings for Tadzio? Why is this crucial to the book?

Essay Topic 2

What is the symbolic and metaphorical significance of "the beach?" What purpose does it play other than a stage? What does it represent about Aschenbach's trip, transformation, and emotional and mental state?

Essay Topic 3

The beginning of "Death In Venice" is full of foreshadowing.

1) Highlight points in the book where Mann and the narrator make abstract foreshadowing.

2) Highlight points in the book where you feel the outcome is predictable, given the concreteness the narrator or Mann has given the reader.

3) Highlight points where the course of the book changes, and what the narrator and Mann had established seem to veer from the reader's predictions.

4) To what point does this predictability work towards?

(see the answer keys)

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