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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 shatters when Pashka touches it?

2. What does the narrator say has happened in France since Charlotte has visited the country?

3. How does the narrator feel as he is wandering the streets near his temporary home?

4. Why does the narrator lie to Pashka?

5. Who surrounds Charlotte and asks for money?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Pashka almost drown once?

2. What does the narrator feel when he is staying in the tombs and what symptoms did he think he had?

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

4. How does the narrator end up staying in a tomb for a while?

5. 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?

6. How did the narrator's book do and when does he remember something Charlotte told him when he saw his first coffin?

7. What does Charlotte's last story for the narrator tell him?

8. How does the narrator's encounter with the girl with russet-colored hair occur and how does it work out between them?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of the story and why?

2. Who is/are the antagonists of the story and why?

3. Which 3 secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot?

4. Are any of the characters dispensable and which ones? Why or why not?

5. Do you think this is a character-driven plot or an action-driven plot? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Many novels, and perhaps a majority, of novels ends on a happy note. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think many (most?) people want what they perceive as a happy or good ending to a novel? Explain your opinion. Do you? Why or why not?

2. What are three reasons to read fiction? Discuss each one in light of "Dreams of My Russian Summers" and whether or not it fulfills all three, two or one of the reasons you mention. Give examples as to why "Dreams of My Russian Summers" is or is not successful in fulfilling the reasons you discuss.

3. Do you think reading solely for entertainment is as good a reason to read as any other? Why or why not? Can any work of fiction or non-fiction, no matter how poorly written, enlighten, teach, stimulate thought? Why or why not?

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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