Marcel Proust — Questions and answers

Read the full story

What was the name of the first book Marcel Proust self-published?

Choices

  1. A. Du côté de chez Swann ✓
  2. B. À la recherche du temps perdu
  3. C. The Socialite's Ramblings
  4. D. Gaston Gallimard's Review

Answer: A. Du côté de chez Swann

From page 1

What health problem did Marcel Proust have when he was a child?

Choices

  1. A. A broken leg
  2. B. Chronic asthma ✓
  3. C. Bad eyesight
  4. D. A runny nose

Answer: B. Chronic asthma

From page 2

What did Marcel Proust mainly do at the fancy Parisian parties?

Choices

  1. A. He told funny jokes to everyone.
  2. B. He carefully watched and listened to people. ✓
  3. C. He played games with the guests.
  4. D. He danced until the morning.

Answer: B. He carefully watched and listened to people.

From page 3

Who did Marcel Proust support during the 'Affaire Dreyfus'?

Choices

  1. A. Anatole France
  2. B. Alfred Dreyfus ✓
  3. C. The French government
  4. D. The people who made the accusations

Answer: B. Alfred Dreyfus

From page 4

What sad event made Marcel Proust retreat more into his apartment and work on his great book?

Choices

  1. A. He lost his favorite pet.
  2. B. His mother passed away. ✓
  3. C. He decided to move to a new town.
  4. D. He became famous overnight.

Answer: B. His mother passed away.

From page 5

Why was Marcel Proust's bedroom lined with cork?

Choices

  1. A. To make it look fancy and unique.
  2. B. To keep it very warm in winter.
  3. C. To block out city noise and pollen that caused his asthma. ✓
  4. D. To store more books on the walls.

Answer: C. To block out city noise and pollen that caused his asthma.

From page 6

What did Marcel Proust do when his book was rejected by many publishers?

Choices

  1. A. He gave up writing books forever.
  2. B. He decided to pay for the book to be published himself. ✓
  3. C. He asked someone else to write it for him.
  4. D. He threw all his papers away in frustration.

Answer: B. He decided to pay for the book to be published himself.

From page 7

What important award did Marcel Proust win for his second book?

Choices

  1. A. The Golden Pen Award
  2. B. The Prix Goncourt ✓
  3. C. The Nobel Prize for Literature
  4. D. The Young Writers Award

Answer: B. The Prix Goncourt

From page 8

How did Marcel Proust continue to work on his book when he was very sick?

Choices

  1. A. He stopped writing and just read books.
  2. B. He dictated new parts to his secretaries and glued pages together. ✓
  3. C. He hired other writers to finish the book for him.
  4. D. He used a special magic pen that wrote by itself.

Answer: B. He dictated new parts to his secretaries and glued pages together.

From page 9

What important idea does Marcel Proust's book teach us about the past?

Choices

  1. A. The past is always gone forever.
  2. B. The past is only for grown-ups to think about.
  3. C. The past is never truly lost and can be found again in our memories. ✓
  4. D. We should try to forget everything that happened in the past.

Answer: C. The past is never truly lost and can be found again in our memories.

From page 10