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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. How does Michel feel about the work he asked the barber to do?

2. What thoughts does Michel have while watching his wife sleep after making love to her the first time?

3. How is the main character's story introduced in the book?

4. Who is the first Arab boy invited to play in Michel's hotel room?

5. How does Michel receive notification of his job offer in Part 1, Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the fact that Michel accepts a teaching job signify to the story?

2. How does Marceline help in Michel's recovery from tuberculosis?

3. Where does Michel begin sleeping in Part 2, Chapter 3, and why?

4. What does Michel have the barber do and why is he startled with the results?

5. When do Marceline and Michel move to the family estate and who greets them when they arrive?

6. Why does Michel summon his friends at the end of the story?

7. What do Michel's recovery and discoveries, and his plunge into the cold pond symbolize?

8. Describe how Michel spends his days and nights upon returning to Biskra with Marceline.

9. As Michel's interest in boys grows, so do the lies he tells his wife. What does Michel tell his wife he is doing in the shady groves, and what is he really doing when she walks ahead into the sunlight?

10. Why does Michel's interest in Charles fade?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify and discuss three points of foreshadowing from the novel. Does the author use foreshadowing effectively? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the character, Michel, and his character development throughout the novel

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the two examples of situational irony present in the last part of the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 725 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample