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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 the narrator spend days doing?

2. What does the narrator recount to Pashka?

3. Where does the narrator seek shelter when it begins to rain?

4. Who is Charlotte's first love?

5. What does the narrator realize about Charlotte?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the narrator do about a place for Charlotte when she comes to visit?

2. Why does the narrator feel guilty concerning his grandmother?

3. Why does the narrator think he is being accepted by his classmates, what does he see as the three types of cliques in a crowd and how does his acceptance affect his writing?

4. Who is the only person in the narrator's class who treats him kindly?

5. How does Pashka feel about the narrator's new popularity and what does Pashka do about it?

6. How does the narrator's interest in Russia cause him problems?

7. What happens when the narrator's mother goes for some medical tests?

8. Why does the narrator begin to write Charlotte's life and what does he want to know about her as he is writing?

9. What does Charlotte tell the narrator about death?

10. What does the narrator relate about a man named Beria?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Over the course of "Dreams of My Russian Summers", the narrator grows as a person in both complexity and understanding. Dreams of My Russian Summers might be considered a slice of the narrator's larger story of his "coming of age." It might be said that Dreams of My Russian Summers is a "bildungsroman" of the narrator. Discuss the following:

1. Define Bildungsroman, or "Coming of Age," and give several examples from literature you have read.

2. Trace and analyze the character of the narrator as he changes from a more carefree, innocent boy to a wiser, young man. What are the significant events that change him?

3. After thoroughly analyzing the narrator's growth throughout "Dreams of My Russian Summers", do you think "Dreams of My Russian Summers" could be considered the narrator's Coming of Age story? Why or why not?

4. Are there any other characters in "Dreams of My Russian Summers" who go through a Coming of Age experience? Who? Why do you think so?

Essay Topic 2

The narration creates a sense of mystery, engaging the reader in the narrator's quest for truth. In this case, there are two different truths - what happened to Charlotte, and where does the narrator fit?

1. Explain what you think the above statements mean. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. Using just the text from the first chapter, argue whether the search for who is Charlotte is the most important aspect of the story or the problems of who the narrator is.

3. Explain what about the sense of mystery in the first chapter goaded you to continue reading the book. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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