View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On the train, why does Xavier avoid his Latin professor?
(a) He thinks the Latin professor will yell at him for missing class.
(b) His Latin professor does not like him.
(c) He has not been to class in a long time.
(d) He failed Latin class the first time he took it.

2. What does Jaromil see as the sign that his verses have true power?
(a) The artist's enthusiastic reaction.
(b) The poems' ability to stand on their own as independent works.
(c) His own thrill at the sounds of the words.
(d) The emotion on his mother's face when she reads them.

3. When do Jaromil's parents redecorate his room?
(a) The day after his grandpa's funeral.
(b) The night before his fifth birthday.
(c) The night before his sixth birthday.
(d) The day before Christmas when he is six.

4. What does Jaromil think is the quintessential surrealist object?
(a) The chair leg if seen by itself.
(b) The statue of Apollo.
(c) His mother's light blue perfume bottle.
(d) The telephone receiver with the dangling cord.

5. What is Maman's attitude about her affair?
(a) She is hoping to leave her husband for the artist.
(b) She does not love the artist but is afraid that if she leaves him, he will refuse to teach Jaromil.
(c) She does not love the artist but sees the affair as something beautiful.
(d) She loves the artist and sees the affair as something beautiful.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Jaromil filled with pride after sleeping with the redhead girl?

2. With whom does the famous poet appear on the street?

3. According to the poet's father, where was the poet conceived?

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

5. Why does Jaromil not react to the words his mother painted for his room redecoration?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is Maman angry at Jaromil because of her love life? Is her anger justified?

3. What is the point of the scene in which Xavier leads his military compatriots to battle? Why does he not get his wish for death?

4. How does Part 4 begin? What are the literary advantages to this?

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

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

7. In Xavier's interactions with the woman in the apartment, what role does water play?

8. 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?

9. When Jaromil returns at midnight after walking the university girl home, Maman becomes hysterical because she was worried about him. What does this scene show about these two people's perception of love?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,923 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample