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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. When asked to sign the letter, why didn't Tomas give the secret policeman an immediate and unconditional "no"?

2. In Part 4, Chapter 13, Tereza has a nightmare where certain words prevent a man from shooting her. What were her words?

3. What did making love with the engineer in the absence of love do to Tereza?

4. What helped ease Tereza's anxiety when she entered the engineer's house?

5. What episode proved that Tomas was as tired mentally as physically - from having too many erotic engagements?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the end, Tereza knows she has reached her goals. What are her goals?

2. Why does Tereza yearn to make love to other men?

3. After making love to the engineer, what does Tereza desire to do?

4. Was Tomas right in not having signed the petition?

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

6. 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?

7. In Part 4, Chapter 13, Tereza has a dream where she admits to the executioner that it wasn't her choice to come to the hill to die. Has she subconsciously renounced responsibility for her actions in order to proceed with what she wants to do?

8. In Part 5, Chapter 10, what distinguishes the women who looks like a giraffe and a stork from others?

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

10. What does the article about the dogs being summarily shot in Russia signify for Tereza?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tereza and Sabina are the closest women in Tomas's life.

1. Compare and contrast the characters of Tereza and Sabina. How are they the same? How are they different?

2. What would have happened if Tomas and Tereza had not married and he would have kept both her and Sabina lovers? Use passages in the book to portray the relevance Sabina had in Tomas's and Tereza's life and whether it would have been beneficial for the couple for Sabina to remain in Tomas's life.

3. Should Tomas have pursued a long term relationship with Sabina rather than with Tereza? Cite passages from the book to show why Tomas may have found a more compatible person in Sabina.

Essay Topic 2

Tomas is a surgeon out of a deep passion and desire.

1. How many times does Tomas jeopardize his career? Cite the incidences where TOmas chooses a route that takes him further and further away from his career.

2. Tomas descends from one job to another, but he claims to Tereza at the end that he is happy. Is Tomas truly happy or pretending to be so? Cite 3 incidences that support your theory.

3. Had Tomas remained in Zurich, where his career as a surgeon flourished, would he have been better off? Or was he destined to be with Tereza and didn't really have a choice? Cite 3 incidences from the book that support your theory.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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