View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the narrator learning with his class?

2. Why does the narrator help Pashka?

3. Who is the woman in the shapka?

4. What does Charlotte do after the young woman is killed?

5. What does the narrator do upon returning to Russia?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does the narrator realize concerning his grandmother and France?

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. What catches the narrator's attention almost obsessively?

5. What does Charlotte tell the narrator about death?

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

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

8. What does the narrator do about three years after staying in the tombs and why was it difficult to do? How did he overcome the difficulty?

9. Who does the narrator notice while doing sequences and what does he notice about her?

10. How does the narrator imagine Charlotte in France and what does he do that he does not usually do when preparing for her visit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Upon returning to Russia, the narrator dives into books about France and French history, spending entire days lost in the dust-covered volumes of the public library. His interest in French history has taken his attention away from other childhood things like sports and movies, which has made him a target for bullies in his school. The only person who treats the narrator kindly is a young man in school everyone considers to be a dunce. The narrator's position as an outsider in his school is important to note because the entire novel surrounds the narrator's struggle to discover where he fits in in the world - is he Russian or is he French?

1. Why do you think the narrator became so deeply immerged in studying France and French history? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

2. Do you think that a student who is very different from his or her classmates is always bullied or ostracized? Why or why not? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

3. Why do you think it was so important to the narrator to figure out if he fit into society in Russia or in France? Use examples from "Dreams of My Russian Summers" to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss "Dreams of My Russian Summers" based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if Dreams of My Russian Summers is a successful novel.

3. Do you think the criteria for a successful novel should be different if it is written for adults versus young adults? Why or why not? Would most adults consider "Dreams of My Russian Summers" a successful novel? What about young teens?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,144 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample