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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. Why did Franzy initially reject the invitation to march in Cambodia?

2. What did Franz come to realize was his real life?

3. The man who visited Tomas at the clinic where Tomas was a general practitioner introduced himself as...

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

5. How did Tereza feel about Tomas's son?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Part 5, Chapter 17, what episode both amuses and horrifies Tomas, proving that he is as tired mentally as he is physically?

3. Describe Tomas's experience as a window washer.

4. Describe Simon's relationship with his mother.

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

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

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

8. Describe Tomas's work at the clinic.

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

10. How do people react as Tomas tries to decide whether or not to retract his article?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

If you were in Tereza's shoes, what would you have done to survive Tomas's infidelities, assuming you did not want to leave him? Had Tomas stopped having affairs, what kind of woman would Tereza have become? What kind of relationship would they have shared? Would Tomas been able to have Tereza as the only woman in his life, or would he have discovered they were incompatible? Would having children made a difference in their relationship?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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