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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. In "Swann In Love," why can't Swann leave Paris?

2. Why does Gilberte send the narrator a copy of a Bergotte book?

3. Why is Swann often late to the Verdurin's parties in "Swann In Love"?

4. In "Place-Names," who tells the narrator to avoid excitement?

5. Where is Combray?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does M. Vinteuil do with his compositions in "Combray" that the narrator finds funny?

2. What happens the night Odette tells Swann she isn't feeling well and sends him home early?

3. What happens the first two times Swann visits Odette's house?

4. In "Overture," how do the narrator's aunts treat M. Swann?

5. How does the narrator feel about Bergotte?

6. In "Place-Names," what does the narrator say has changed about his faith since his childhood?

7. In "Mme. Swann at Home," what happens to the narrator's writing?

8. Why is the narrator not allowed to return to Champs-Elysees?

9. Why does the narrator visit his Uncle Adolphe frequently in "Combray"?

10. What ends Swann's relationship with Uncle Adolphe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator is almost always preoccupied with social class standing. Explain the cause and effect of this obsession. Why is social class such an important issue? How does the narrator resolve his desire to raise his class?

Essay Topic 2

Illness is a major part of the narrator's life and the lives of several other characters. How are these illnesses used to develop the plot and characters? What do the illnesses represent? Why does the author used illness in these situations?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the relationship between the narrator and his mother. Follow their relationship from boyhood into adulthood. What things change? What remain the same? What does each character want from the other?

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