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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 the restroom, what does the man with the beard ask Paul?

2. Who is Claire?

3. What office is Serge running for?

4. What is happening when Paul returns from the restroom to the table?

5. What cell phone service does Paul and Michel both use?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Where do Paul and Claire go before the restaurant? Why?

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

4. What is the significance of the white sneakers in the video?

5. How is the arrival of Serge and Babette at the restaurant described?

6. How is Serge perceived by the public?

7. Why does Michel call his father while he his at the restaurant?

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

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

10. To what films does Paul compare the setting and people of Dordogne in Chapter 12?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss wine as a symbol in The Dinner. What does wine represent to the characters in the story? How is wine used to further the plot or theme development? What character is associated with wine?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the themes of of race and class privilege as explored in The Dinner. How are these themes developed through character, action, circumstances, and symbolism? How would the events and circumstances of the novel differ if the characters were not affluent and white?

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