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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 desire led to Tomas's pursuit of women?

2. What did the man from the Ministry want from Tomas?

3. How did Tomas feel after the petition was published?

4. When did Tomas realize the strange man was interrogating him?

5. In Part 4, Chapter 22, Tereza's thoughts about the engineer are...

Short Essay Questions

1. All her life Sabina had proclaimed kitsch her enemy. But, Kundera asks, hasn't she in fact been carrying it with her?

2. Describe Simon's relationship with his mother.

3. Kundera claims that the way Tomas rushes into the decision to leave the clinic seems rather odd. He asks, could it perhaps conceal something else, something deeper that escapes Toma s's reasoning? What is the answer to his question?

4. Prior to suggesting they move there, what experience has Tereza had with country life?

5. Is it Tereza's fault that Tomas had to leave his profession and ended up a truck driver in the country?

6. What is at stake if Tomas does not retract the article he wrote?

7. Does Tomas make a mistake by returning to Prague from Zurich?

8. Why does Franz change his mind and decide to go to Cambodia?

9. Why does Tomas resign from the clinic?

10. When talking to his son, Simon, what is Tomas's attitude about the article he had written?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tomas and Tereza's love is based on her fidelity.

1. Did Tereza's infidelity help her achieve her goal of having Tomas all to herself? What would have happened had Tereza not had an affair? Did her infidelity cure her from jealousy?

2. Tereza does not believe that Tomas would throw her out if he learns of her affair. What then would Tomas have done? How would him knowing have changed the nature of their relationship?

3. Had Tereza not given up her life to Tomas, making him certain of her fidelity, would he have fallen in love with her and married her? What does your answer say about his character?

Essay Topic 2

If you were asked to retract a letter for the sake of saving your career, what would you do? Would you save your career or your pride? Write how Tomas's and Tereza's life would have had a different outcome if Tomas had retracted the letter.

Essay Topic 3

Tomas and Tereza are brought together by fortuitous events.

1. Kandera often brings up the fortuitous events that brought Tomas and Tereza together. How many times does Kandera bring this up> What is he trying to say? Were Tereza and Tomas brought together by chance or fate?

2. Tomas questions the fortuitous events that brought him and Tereza together. Why didn't Tomas go beyond the questioning and conclude whether or not they did belong together? Was Tomas too passive in the relationship, allowing for those fortuitous events to lead the meaning of the relationship? Cite 3 examples that prove your theory.

3. Tereza holds steady to the fortuitous events that brought her to Tomas. Why does that not bring her peace? Cite 3 examples where she fully recognizes she's in an unhappy relationship.

(see the answer keys)

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