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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Geoffrey said that Flaubert learned that life is not a choice between murdering your way to throne or what?
(a) Slopping a pig.
(b) Farming the land.
(c) Marrying your way to the throne.
(d) Murdering your servant.

2. In the "History (with Astrology)" section of the examination, what does Flaubert say we are dancing on?
(a) The seat of a latrine.
(b) The grass in a meadow.
(c) The edge of a volcano.
(d) The floor of a tavern.

3. How does Geoffrey defend Flaubert against the charge of being a sadist?
(a) He says that a priest who took Flaubert's confessions said the charge was a lie.
(b) He says that Flaubert was always too ill to act in sadistic ways.
(c) He says Flaubert never commited an unkind act.
(d) He quotes a letter from Flaubert on the subject.

4. What did Ellen want to know about Geoffrey?
(a) She wanted to know where he spent his money.
(b) She wanted to know how he really spent his days.
(c) She wanted to know what others thought of him.
(d) She only wanted to know the best about him.

5. What does Geoffrey ask about disciples and their masters?
(a) Is the great writer responsible for his disciples?
(b) Should a disciple acknowledge his debt to his master?
(c) Do all disciples receive equal treatment from a master?
(d) Does a master also learn from his disciples?

6. Where did Geoffrey say he thought his wife's despair came from?
(a) A chamber of her heart which was inaccessible to him.
(b) A child she could not help.
(c) The illness she was fighting.
(d) The knowledge that Geoffrey cheated on her.

7. Aside from the fact that the house at Croisset was big enough for him to have a study, why else was it good for Flaubert?
(a) It was easily heated and stayed cool in the summer.
(b) It was small enough to discourage visitors.
(c) It was near the railroad station.
(d) It was set far off from the road.

8. How many children did Geoffrey and Ellen have?
(a) Two.
(b) Four.
(c) Seven.
(d) One.

9. Why did Flaubert say that he wrote "Madame Bovary"?
(a) Because he knew it would make his fortune.
(b) Because he hated realism.
(c) Because the idea came to him in a dream.
(d) Because it was the true story of his mother's life.

10. What did Geoffrey want to know about his wife?
(a) He wanted to know if she planned to take his money.
(b) He wanted to know the worst about her.
(c) He wanted to know how she knew his secrets.
(d) He wanted to know what others thought of her.

11. What did Flaubert think about train travel?
(a) He thought it was too expensive.
(b) It delighted him.
(c) He thought it was a modern marvel.
(d) It bored him.

12. According to Geoffrey, what is the sweetest moment of writing?
(a) Reading a good review on a book.
(b) Writing the final word.
(c) Getting an idea for a book that never has to be written.
(d) Seeing the book in print.

13. What did Louise do after Flaubert broke off their affair?
(a) She went to see him at Croisset.
(b) She wrote a letter to his mother.
(c) She ripped up one of his original manuscripts.
(d) She started an affair with his best friend.

14. Geoffrey feels that he understands Ellen less than he understands whom?
(a) Himself.
(b) Flaubert.
(c) His mother.
(d) His son.

15. What animal does Flaubert dream about in the dream Geoffrey includes in the psychoanalysis section of the examination?
(a) Monkey.
(b) Rat.
(c) Lion.
(d) Bear.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Geoffrey call the devil's mark of the snorkel of sanity?

2. Who did Cervantes refer to as the source of his famous hero?

3. What defense does Geoffrey suggest against those who said Flaubert didn't involve himself in life?

4. Who was known as Flaubert's second mother?

5. What did Flaubert imagine could happen if he married Louise?

(see the answer keys)

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