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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What one item fills the man's apartment with nostalgia and melancholy?
2. Why has the middle-aged man arranged signals with the people who visit him?
3. How does Jaromil feel after talking to the police about the redhead's brother?
4. What is Jaromil's opinion of the redhead's family?
5. According to Kundera, why is lyricism immature?
Short Essay Questions
1. What are Jaromil's hopes for the two women in his life? What does this show about his understanding of both women?
2. In planning the documentary about Jaromil's life, what do Maman and Jaromil reveal about themselves? What do they reveal about their relationship?
3. What does the middle-aged man tell the girl about Jaromil? How is this story the opposite of what Jaromil ever wanted?
4. When the girl visits the middle-aged man, she is wearing winter clothes. What does this detail reveal about the timing in the story?
5. 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?
6. 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?
7. 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?
8. What happens when Jaromil recites his poems to the audience of police members? How does this compare to the hopes he has had?
9. 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?
10. During the party at the cinematography girl's apartment, how does Jaromil's clothing reflect his state of mind?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Jaromil's father is his greatest friend (Part I, Chapter 4, pg 21). What might his mother have felt during that time? How does this weaken the close bond she has had with him before?
Essay Topic 2
What element causes Jaromil's death? How is this suited to his life? What does it mean that at the end he looked into his own face, and what horror is added in that moment?
Essay Topic 3
Kundera admits that the novel has the same limitations as reality (Part 6, Chapter 1, pg 269). What does this mean? How does this play out in the lives of the characters? What is the effect of speaking so candidly to the reader?
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This section contains 1,848 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) |
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