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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. The night of the party, what does Maman realize about the cinematographer?
(a) The girl would be an excellent daughter-in-law.
(b) She loves the girl more than Jaromil does.
(c) The girl will scheme up anything to get what she wants.
(d) The girl is a Communist spy.

2. How long has it been since the middle-aged man saw the girl who rang his doorbell?
(a) Eight years.
(b) One year.
(c) Three years.
(d) Three months.

3. What personal aspect was considered a political crime during Jaromil's time?
(a) Depravity.
(b) Poverty.
(c) Elegance.
(d) Extravagance.

4. What makes Maman think that Jaromil is actually becoming like a son of Apollo?
(a) His face is becoming beautiful and godlike rather than coarse.
(b) He values the Greek gods more than passing political trend.
(c) He has taken down the picture of his father.
(d) He has begun writing beautiful poems, not poems of death.

5. What boosts Jaromil's confidence before the poetry reading at the police academy?
(a) He is the youngest and therefore the face of the future.
(b) Maman recently praised him for his poetry.
(c) Five of his poems were recently published.
(d) The janitor's son has complete assurance in his poetic ability.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does the newspaper editor not want to publish Jaromil's poems?

2. What happens during the second half of Jaromil's poetry recitation?

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

4. Why is Jaromil not jealous when he considers the redhead in the hands of the policemen?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Kundera says that the young person can be so loyally devoted to an idea because he believes in absolutes (Part 5, Chapter 6, pg 220). How does this fit with Jaromil's personality?

2. As it is painfully revealed in Part 5, Chapters 4 - 6, why do Maman and Jaromil struggle to live together? What does this say about their relationship as mother and son?

3. During the party at the cinematography girl's apartment, how does Jaromil's clothing reflect his state of mind?

4. "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?

5. 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?

6. What is Maman's opinion about the redheaded girl? How does her reaction perpetuate the cycle of her own relationship with Jaromil?

7. After a period of estrangement from Maman, why is Jaromil ready to make peace with her? How do the two of them have very different perceptions of this reconciliation?

8. Jaromil's first revelation about duty is that it is "voluntary and represents human daring and dignity" (Part 5, Chapter 11, pg 263). Given his situation, is this true?

9. "Only a real poet knows how lonely it is inside the mirrored house of poetry" (Part 7, Chapter 1, pg 289). Where else does the reader see mirrors in the story, and how does this sentence relate to Jaromil's life?

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

(see the answer keys)

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