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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Proust refuse from the doctors on his deathbed?
(a) Medication.
(b) To talk to them.
(c) Being seen by one.
(d) Diagnosis.

2. What was Proust's life filled with?
(a) Missteps in his upbringing.
(b) Missteps in physicality and psychology.
(c) Missteps in intellect.
(d) Missteps in physicality.

3. How did Proust's friends react to Proust's relationship with his mother?
(a) They were annoyed.
(b) They were bothered.
(c) They did not care.
(d) They were uncomfortable.

4. What does De Botton say to suggest it makes sense for De Botton to become an author?
(a) He loved books.
(b) He was an English teacher.
(c) His family was full of writers.
(d) He loved to read.

5. Why would Proust sometimes examine a mundane train timetable?
(a) To fall asleep.
(b) To go crosseyed.
(c) To keep his brain active.
(d) To keep learning.

6. How many years had it been since Proust visited the Louvre when he responded to the newspaper's poll?
(a) 15 years.
(b) 5 years.
(c) He had never been.
(d) 10 years.

7. How would great stories of literature become boring?
(a) If they did not include violence.
(b) If they were reduced to one sentence sound bites.
(c) If they omitted details and left only facts.
(d) If they did not include romance.

8. Which of the following people were not mentioned to have responded to the newspaper's poll?
(a) Berthe Bovy
(b) Henri Bordeaux.
(c) Gertrude Stein.
(d) Madame Fraya.

9. What was Proust allergic to?
(a) Cologne and soap.
(b) Cologne.
(c) Soap and shaving cream.
(d) Soap.

10. Who was the artist of Old Man and the Boy?
(a) Garland Domenion.
(b) Ghirlandiouso.
(c) Domenico Ghirlandio.
(d) Domnico Ghirland.

11. What was Proust's father's occupation?
(a) He was a writer.
(b) He was a doctor.
(c) He was a lawyer.
(d) He was a teacher.

12. What does De Botton suggest about human bodies?
(a) They are insufficient.
(b) They are ugly.
(c) They lack security.
(d) Humans become unhappy as our bodies go frail.

13. Why did Proust respond to the newspaper article about the young boy who murdered his mom?
(a) To refute the brevity of the first article.
(b) To release his own emotions.
(c) To give the boy some reasoning for his actions.
(d) To tell the entire story.

14. What year was Pensees written?
(a) 1624.
(b) 1626.
(c) 1623.
(d) 1625.

15. What were Proust's main passions?
(a) Law and medicine.
(b) Writing and reading.
(c) Reading and analyzing.
(d) Literature and writing.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Marcel Proust?

2. What was Proust's mother like?

3. What did Proust's grandfather do?

4. What does De Botton claim humans are most dedicated to at the beginning of "How Proust Can Change Your Life ; Not a Novel"?

5. What did Proust explain after the article was written about the young boy who murdered his mom.

(see the answer keys)

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