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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 does Manuela come early for tea?

2. What does Paloma decide to do for her next birthday?

3. Where is Manuela from?

4. What does Renee think will cause the young man to forget she said anything about Marx?

5. What does Pierre do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Renee's marriage like?

2. What do the Renee's clients believe about concierges and how does Renee try to project their image of the average concierge?

3. What is one of Renee's favorite movie and why?

4. What causes Renee to reflect on the meaning of life and what is her conclusion?

5. Describe Renee Michel.

6. What does Paloma notice about one of the rugby players?

7. Describe Olympe.

8. What has Renee decided about phenomenology and how does she use Kant to come to this conclusion?

9. What does Paloma think of Maître Arthens?

10. What is Renee's educational background and who fostered her desire to learn?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Renee is not terribly impressed with most of the tenants, looking down on them because they are so filled with their own beliefs that they cannot see what is right in front of them. For this reason, Renee feels somewhat superior to the wealthy tenants of the building. Renee also tells the reader how she is mainly uneducated, only learning how to read because a teacher took special interest in the affection starved child she once was. This too is how Renee ended up married to her husband, because he saw past the masks and her ugliness to see the woman underneath. Renee feels that although her husband was not her intellectual equal, he was a good man and they had a good marriage.

1. Discuss reasons why Renee has formed her opinion of the tenants in her building. Use examples from the book and your own life to support your reasoning.

2. Do you think most people do not notice service people around them, such as concierges, store clerks, mail carriers, etc.? Why or why not? How might this affect these people? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your reasoning.

3. What are the ways in which people could interact with others in order to see past the surface characteristics? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if it is a successful novel.

3. Do you think the criteria for a successful novel should be different if it is written for adults versus young adults? Why or why not? Would most adults consider "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" a successful novel? What about young teens?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following:

1. Who is/are the protagonists of the story and why?

2. Who is/are the antagonists of the story and why?

3. Which 3 secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot?

4. Are any of the characters dispensable and which ones? Why or why not?

5. Do you think this is a character-driven plot or an action-driven plot? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,098 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample