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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. Symbolically, what role does Maman want to play in Jaromil's life?
2. When does Jaromil's anger toward the girl at last subside?
3. Why does Jaromil agree to read in the presentation of poets?
4. At the beginning of Part 6, Chapter 1, what does Kundera do with the story?
5. What happens to Jaromil's uncle?
Short Essay Questions
1. After not sleeping with the cinematographer, Jaromil considers his underwear for a long time, in light of the women involved. What does he decide? How does this single piece of clothing drive so much of what he does?
2. What does the middle-aged man tell the girl about Jaromil? How is this story the opposite of what Jaromil ever wanted?
3. 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?
4. What is Maman's opinion about the redheaded girl? How does her reaction perpetuate the cycle of her own relationship with Jaromil?
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. In planning the documentary about Jaromil's life, what do Maman and Jaromil reveal about themselves? What do they reveal about their relationship?
7. What are Jaromil's hopes for the two women in his life? What does this show about his understanding of both women?
8. During the party at the cinematography girl's apartment, how does Jaromil's clothing reflect his state of mind?
9. When the girl visits the middle-aged man, she is wearing winter clothes. What does this detail reveal about the timing in the story?
10. Near the end of the book, Xavier betrays Jaromil by leaving him behind. What is the significance of this scene?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What implications are there in Xavier's dance with the older woman? Are details of her age seen as something beautiful? How does this dance show Xavier's triumph over a girl his own age? What about over his own age? How is his love for the blond girl incomplete without his demonstration of love for the old woman?
Essay Topic 2
How is Xavier an important person because of the list in his notebook? How might Jaromil seek similar importance through these fantasies/dreams?
Essay Topic 3
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?
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This section contains 1,797 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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