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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 Paul have to explain to the hostess at the restaurant, which greatly annoys him?

2. What color are the sneakers in the video on Michel's phone?

3. Why does Claire leave the table?

4. Why do Paul suspect Serge and Babette decided to adopt?

5. What does Paul take that is not his just before going to dinner?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the man with the beard ask of Paul? Why?

2. How is Serge's wine expertise regarded by Paul?

3. What explanation does Serge give to Paul regarding Babette's behavior in Chapter 15? Is he telling the truth?

4. What does Paul say about his feelings of corn in Chapter 16?

5. What film is described by Claire as the most racist film ever in Chapter 13? Why?

6. How does Paul react to the waiter who tells him about the apertif?

7. Why does Paul go into Michel's room an hour before he and Claire leave for the restaurant? Why does he tell Michel he is there?

8. What conversation does Paul and Claire have regarding Michel before they go to the restaurant?

9. How does Paul describe his brother's eating behavior?

10. From what narrative perspective is the novel related? Why is this important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore to lengths parents will go to protect/defend their children. Do the parents in the novel represent the norm? Why or why not? Do you think that the parents' actions are justified in this story?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Paul as an example of an unreliable narrator. What aspects of Paul's narrative come into question? Why? How would this novel differ if Paul were a reliable narrator, or if the story were related from a third-person perspective?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the importance of the setting in The Dinner. What is the main setting of the novel? What settings are described in flashbacks? How might this novel differ if set in a different country? How would it differ if set in a different type of restaurant?

(see the answer keys)

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