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. What location is Maman most excited to film in?
(a) The countryside surrounding Prague.
(b) Her garden.
(c) The artist's studio.
(d) Jaromil's bedroom.

2. How many poets participate in the recitation?
(a) Eleven.
(b) Fourteen.
(c) Twelve.
(d) Eight.

3. At Jaromil's sick bed, what words link Maman most closely to him, in her mind?
(a) "You're a poet, and I am so happy for you. . .".
(b) "I don't want him to look down on us."
(c) "Are you in such a hurry to leave me?"
(d) "Everything he's ever done has been in the interests of the working class."

4. According to one of the party guests, why has Jaromil stopped talking to the artist?
(a) The friendship would have stood in the way of his career.
(b) Jaromil saw that the man was a capitalist discontent.
(c) Jaromil's art deserved better instruction than this man could give.
(d) The artist was involved in spy campaigns.

5. Why is there silence at the beginning of the question-and-answer time following the recitation?
(a) No one cares about the poems enough to ask questions.
(b) No one knows how to begin.
(c) Everyone is respectfully waiting for the silver-haired poet to speak first.
(d) The poets are professional and know what the questions will be.

Short Answer Questions

1. When does Jaromil feel that the girl belongs to him completely?

2. According to the janitor's son, why do policemen like to read poetry?

3. During the filming, how does Maman push Jaromil back into the role of a young child?

4. While watching the beautiful cinematographer on the bus, what does Jaromil realize?

5. When the redhead is fifteen minutes late, what is the first excuse she gives Jaromil?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Jaromil recites his poems to the audience of police members? How does this compare to the hopes he has had?

2. What arguments do Jaromil and the redhead have concerning their families? How does this illustrate Jaromil's juvenile mindset?

3. When the girl visits the middle-aged man, she is wearing winter clothes. What does this detail reveal about the timing in the story?

4. When Jaromil is angry at the redhead for being fifteen minutes late, what change ensues in their relationship? How does this mark a turning point in Jaromil's development as a person?

5. What are Jaromil's hopes for the two women in his life? What does this show about his understanding of both women?

6. "History does not always make a dramatic entrance, it often seeps through every-day life like dirty dishwater. In our story, History makes its appearance in the guise of underwear" (Part 5, Chapter 8, pg 239). What does this mean in the context of Jaromil's story?

7. The group of poets, Jaromil among them, is invited to speak at the police academy in the countryside. What is the irony of this situation and what does it say about the ideals they espouse?

8. In planning the documentary about Jaromil's life, what do Maman and Jaromil reveal about themselves? What do they reveal about their relationship?

9. Why does Jaromil want to undress the redhead? How does this show his inadequate understanding of relationships?

10. According to Jaromil, why did he run from the window where he first saw the redheaded girl? How does this move the story forward and reveal Jaromil's personality at the same time?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,948 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample