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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part 4: The Poet on the Run, pp. 161-181.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Jaromil's criterion for a true poem?
(a) It must have an established form.
(b) It must be able to stand apart from other poems.
(c) It must sound poetic when it is recited.
(d) It must be read by someone other than the author.

2. Why do Jaromil's poems so often include death?
(a) Death is the only thing he does not yet understand
(b) He wants to be absorbed in something absolute and immense.
(c) He is gradually becoming suicidal.
(d) A violent streak is developing as he is treated cruelly by the world.

3. Who or what is the real source of Jaromil's poetic inspiration?
(a) His talent.
(b) His grandpa.
(c) The children's books his mother read.
(d) His father's influence.

4. What does the theme of the long poem reveal about Jaromil's thoughts?
(a) He is afraid of a woman's body.
(b) He is obsessed with a woman's body.
(c) He is afraid he will never find true love.
(d) He longs for death.

5. According to Maman, where was the poet conceived?
(a) In the apartment of the father's colleague.
(b) In her apartment.
(c) On a park bench.
(d) In the countryside near Prague.

Short Answer Questions

1. In confiding to Jaromil, what does Maman say is her greatest love?

2. Why does Jaromil write so many poems about women's bodies?

3. To what does Jaromil poetically compare Magda?

4. What does Xavier find most compelling about the woman in the house?

5. Where does Xavier usually go when he skips school?

(see the answer key)

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