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. Why was Maman initially pleased to think about meeting Jaromil's girlfriend?
(a) She wanted to befriend the redhead so she could control Jaromil more.
(b) She wanted to make peace with Jaromil by meeting his girlfriend.
(c) She thought perhaps she could make a friend.
(d) She had told the downstairs tenant that her family would need the entire upper floor.

2. While watching the beautiful cinematographer on the bus, what does Jaromil realize?
(a) That he has fallen in love with her.
(b) How little his poetry is worth compared to the cinematographer.
(c) That he will never love anyone but Maman.
(d) How ugly the redhead is.

3. Who was the first man the redheaded girl slept with?
(a) An older man in her village.
(b) A childhood friend.
(c) A fellow student at the university.
(d) A middle-aged man in the city.

4. After the girl rejects the man's caresses, what does she wish he were?
(a) A dog, preferably small.
(b) A very young child.
(c) Dead.
(d) A very old man or woman.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. During the argument between Jaromil and the party guest, why do the other guests burst out laughing?

2. According to Jaromil, how do socialism and love interact?

3. While Jaromil is talking with the redhead about love, how does death enter the conversation?

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

5. Why is it important to Jaromil that he die by fire?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jaromil feel while he is visiting the janitor's son at the police station? What does this say about his personal growth?

2. 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?

3. "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?

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

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

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

7. 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?

8. What does the middle-aged man tell the girl about Jaromil? How is this story the opposite of what Jaromil ever wanted?

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

10. Near the end of the book, Xavier betrays Jaromil by leaving him behind. What is the significance of this scene?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,982 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample