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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In confiding to Jaromil, what does Maman say is her greatest love?
(a) Family life and stability.
(b) Her husband.
(c) Literature.
(d) Her son.

2. How does Maman shame Jaromil in front of her guests?
(a) Combs his hair.
(b) Berates him for an untidy bedroom.
(c) Asks if he's dating a common girl.
(d) Brushes the lint off his trousers.

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

4. In the opinion of Jaromil's uncle, why did the revolution occur?
(a) So the Communists could seize what little power they did not already have.
(b) So the Communists could finally become a powerful political party.
(c) So that the capitalist swine would be overthrown.
(d) So that the new era of humanity could begin.

5. How does Xavier use sleep?
(a) As a way of preparing for life.
(b) As a way of mind control training.
(c) As a form of self-hypnosis.
(d) As a way of living.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Why is Jaromil especially proud of the slogan "No churches"?

3. What is Jaromil's first long poem about?

4. While kissing the old woman, why does Xavier turn on the light?

5. What idea about poetry does the artist's chastisement cause in Jaromil's mind?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jaromil prepare for a date with a girl? How does his preparation actually make him completely unprepared for the date?

2. At the ski lodge, Xavier kisses the old woman while luring the girl outside in the snow. In this scene, how do the women exchange places in life? How is this emphasized by the colors they wear?

3. How does Jaromil view the loss of his virginity as a metaphysical event? Is his perception true?

4. Who is Jaromil's only school friend? What picture do these two children present?

5. How does Kundera describe Jaromil's nursing? How does this set the tone for the future relationship between mother and son?

6. While Jaromil is still a child, how does Maman prepare him for success as a writer? How does her preparation, paradoxically, also prepare him for failure?

7. What revelation does Maman have about her husband one night after a party? How does this affect her relationship with Jaromil?

8. Consider titles of the novel, sections, and chapters. How do the titles help to establish the frame of the story?

9. What role does Jaromil want the artist to play in his life? How does the artist fall short of these expectations?

10. When Kundera opens the scene of Maman and Jaromil's vacation, he uses many descriptive words and phrases. What effect does this have on the reading of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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