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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 does the narrator admire most about the church in Combray?

2. In "Swann In Love," what explanation is given for Mme. de Verdurin's health palpitations?

3. What does the narrator's great-aunt Leonie brag about in "Combray"?

4. In "Place-Names," why does the narrator sometimes go to Allee des Acacias?

5. When does the narrator say his mother did not kiss him goodnight as a small child?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the anonymous letter Swann receives at the end of "Swann In Love" say?

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

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

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

5. What ends Swann's relationship with the Verdurins?

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

7. As a young boy how did the narrator spend his time before and after dinner?

8. What does Gilberte do in "Place-Names" that makes the narrator think she might like him?

9. In "Place-Names," what does the narrator do every day after Gilberte leaves?

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

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

Describe the major events that occur while the narrator and his grandmother travel to Balbec. Select three places they visit and explain the importance of each. What do these places symbolize? What happens there that changes this novel? What is so significant about Balbec?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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