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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. From what does Charlotte's husband die?

2. Who is in Charlotte's former home when she returns to her village?

3. What is the scruffy woman with the baby wearing in a photo the narrator writes about?

4. What does Sergei notice being loaded?

5. In what context does the narrator imagine the French villages his grandmother describes?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story captures the narrator's imagination concerning Tsar Nicholas II?

2. What happens when the narrator and his sister go for oranges?

3. What happens after Fyodor is arrested?

4. What story about Charlotte and Fyodor does the narrator recall?

5. What does Charlotte do during the war and how does she react to her work?

6. What happens after the children are put to bed?

7. What does the narrator say his grandmother does when the narrator looks at the photo of the scruffy woman?

8. How does Albertine surprise Charlotte one day and what is left behind?

9. What is the story does the narrator relate about Charlotte's rock collection?

10. About what do others continue to speculate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "Dreams of My Russian Summers". Questions that Makine most likely want readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Makine's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Makine's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Makine and see if/where his life may have influenced his writing.

Essay Topic 2

Oftentimes, a book has more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think "Dreams of My Russian Summers" is? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 3

1. What is foreshadow? How many incidences of foreshadow are in "Dreams of My Russian Summers"? How does foreshadow contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadow in "Dreams of My Russian Summers" including why you believe it is foreshadow. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" and your own live to support your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

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