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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 desperation for a response, what does Jaromil mail to the famous poet?
(a) His own long poem written in the poet's most recent book.
(b) Twenty telephone receivers.
(c) A grey striped dove.
(d) A twenty-page letter.

2. To what does Jaromil poetically compare Magda?
(a) Earth and stability.
(b) Fire and passion.
(c) Water and sorrow.
(d) Ice and cruelty.

3. Why does Jaromil not speak to the cashier when she leaves the store?
(a) She is always with a man.
(b) He does not have enough courage to approach her.
(c) She is always with another girl.
(d) He prefers to walk next to her silently.

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

5. Why does the artist begin loaning books to Jaromil?
(a) So that Maman will be unafraid to read them.
(b) He wants Jaromil to think that he is very smart.
(c) He wants to expand Jaromil's knowledge of art.
(d) So that Jaromil will study in his spare time.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Xavier leave the beautiful woman?

2. Why does Jaromil like the girl in the white coat who works at the store?

3. Why does Maman take her husband's picture off the wall?

4. What justification does Maman give herself for her initial infidelity?

5. Why does Maman blame Jaromil for all her troubles?

Short Essay Questions

1. When the artist explains the red and brown painting to Maman, what is her response? How does this set the tone for the rest of their relationship?

2. What role do the twenty telephone receivers play in the story?

3. Maman and the engineer disagree about where Jaromil was conceived. Why is this an important debate?

4. As Jaromil reaches adolescence, why is manhood so important to him?

5. "It was sad, but beautiful, too: for a moment, Jaromil lost the feeling of being a mere child" (Part 3, Chapter 25, pg 150). What causes this moment? Will it last?

6. What does Xavier notice most about the woman in the apartment? How does the woman use her eyes?

7. How are Jaromil's university experiences told in the novel? What message does this convey to the reader about the scope of the novel?

8. How does the artist's concept of an "inner world" (Part 1, Chapter 6, pg 30) dramatically change Jaromil's character?

9. Why is Jaromil attracted to the dark-haired girl? What does this attraction show about his development as a character?

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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