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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. When Jaromil and the university girl are kissing in her house, what does Jaromil think about obsessively?
(a) His torn shirt cuff.
(b) The girl's breath.
(c) Turning off the light.
(d) His early curfew.

2. Why does Xavier constantly arrive late, no matter where he's going?
(a) His watch is always slow.
(b) He has always had trouble being punctual.
(c) He feels that a scheduled life is boring and unsurprising.
(d) He prefers to tempt fate by not scheduling things very well.

3. What pleased the artist the most about Jaromil's drawings?
(a) The amount of time and care that went into them.
(b) The high degree of talent which they exhibited.
(c) Jaromil's own modesty when presenting them.
(d) The original inner world that they revealed.

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

5. Where does Xavier usually go when he skips school?
(a) To his girlfriend's house.
(b) The yellow house.
(c) The Charles Bridge.
(d) The Andrews Bridge.

Short Answer Questions

1. In desperation for a response, what does Jaromil mail to the famous poet?

2. During the Marxist debate which Jaromil attends, how does one person cause a distraction?

3. Why does the artist paint two X's on Maman's face?

4. When do Jaromil's parents redecorate his room?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Given the first three paragraphs of Part 2, what leads the reader to believe that this character is Jaromil? What clues tell the reader that it is someone else?

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

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

4. 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?

5. What does the artist want most of all for Maman? Why is this difficult for her?

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

7. "He [Jaromil] was searching for immensity. His life was hopeless, small, everything around him was flat, gray" (Part 3, Chapter 8, pg 104). How does Kundera's presentation of the novel prove this to be true?

8. 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?

9. Why is Jaromil thrilled at the thought of catching Magda, the family maid, in the bathtub? What does this say about his sexual development?

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

(see the answer keys)

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