WorksheetsThe Madeleine
Total questions: 12
Worksheet time: 10mins
Which of the following statements about the senses does the author of “The Madeleine” most clearly express?
The sense of hearing can take listeners back to a time when they first heard a song.
All of the senses are vital for forming vivid memories and later recalling them.
The senses of smell and taste have the power to revive memories that seemed to be long forgotten.
The sense of sight is the most important because it is how people mostly experience the world.
Read the following excerpt from the “The Madeleine.”
And once I had recognized the taste of the crumb of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime-flowers which my aunt used to give me . . . immediately the old gray house upon the street, where her room was, rose up like the scenery of a theater to attach itself to the little pavilion, opening on to the garden, which had been built out behind it for my parents (the isolated panel which until that moment had been all that I could see); and with the house the town, from morning to night and in all weathers. . . .
What does the narrator mean when he says the house “rose up” and attached itself to the pavilion?
The memory of his aunt giving him tea came to him in a dream in which the surrounding scenery appeared and moved like props in a stage play.
The memory of his aunt giving him tea and her house with its attached pavilion occurred all at once, prompting many feelings to rise up.
The memory of his aunt giving him tea called up another memory of her house, which connected to a pavilion he remembered separately.
The memory of his aunt giving him tea so vividly triggered a vision of the house he grew up in and its pavilion that he rose to his feet.
Read this excerpt from “The Madeleine.”
What an abyss of uncertainty whenever the mind feels that some part of it has strayed beyond its own borders; when it, the seeker, is at once the dark region through which it must go seeking, where all its equipment will avail it nothing. Seek? More than that: create. It is face to face with something which does not so far exist, to which it alone can give reality and substance, which it alone can bring into the light of day.
To what does the “abyss of uncertainty” most likely refer?
the dark recesses of the mind where forgotten memories are hidden
the bottomless pit into which the narrator often dreams of falling
the dark void of the soul where a person’s insecurities live
the chance of creating false memories by trying too hard to remember
Read this excerpt from “The Madeleine.”
I drink a second mouthful, in which I find nothing more than in the first, a third, which gives me rather less than the second. It is time to stop; the potion is losing its magic. It is plain that the object of my quest, the truth, lies not in the cup but in myself.
What does the narrator mean when he says “the object of my quest . . . lies not in the cup but in myself”?
The tea created a false sensation not related to his memories.
Memories can sometimes be incomplete, misleading, or wrong.
He probably will never figure out what caused the jolt of sensation.
He can find the answers only by searching his mind.
Which of the following things is impalpable?
a river
a puppy
a flower
a gust of wind
a sunset
In “The Madeleine,” the narrator finally makes the connection between the taste of madeleine and tea and a memory. What question does he say he still needs to answer?
How does this memory affect him?
Where did the memory come from?
Why does the memory make him happy?
Why did he suddenly become aware of this memory?
In “The Madeleine,” what does the narrator do to figure out the meaning of his emotional response to the taste of madeleine and tea?
He searches his memory for recollections of his aunt.
He retraces his thoughts and clears his mind.
He reviews his childhood memories of life in Combray.
He recalls the smell of madeleines baking.
What is the most likely meaning of innocuous as it is used in the following sentence? Use context clues to help you.
Eating a peanut butter sandwich for lunch may seem innocuous enough, but for someone who has a peanut allergy, it can have fatal consequences.
not harmful
not useful
not offensive
interesting
What memory is sparked when the narrator of “The Madeleine” tastes the madeleine and tea?
a memory of sampling madeleines and tea after seeing M. Swann’s park and the waterlilies on the Vivonne
a memory of his mother offering him tea and madeleines one winter day when he came home cold
a childhood memory of tasting a madeleine that his aunt dipped in tea and gave to him
a long-ago memory of eating madeleines and drinking tea after returning home from the theater
In “The Madeleine,” how does the taste of madeleine make the narrator feel?
mournful
joyful
relieved
annoyed
Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of illusory?
They were eager to attend the concert, so they bought tickets as soon as the dates were announced. That was great planning because the concert quickly sold out.
Megan was late and wasn’t thinking clearly. Fortunately, just as she was closing the door, she remembered her phone and raced back to get it.
Julio was afraid the film would be awful, and he was right. It was the worst film he’d ever seen!
I sent away for a book that promised to make me rich, but a year later, I was as poor as ever. So much for that book’s promises!
What happens in “The Madeleine” when the narrator sips tea that contains crumbs of madeleine?
He starts thinking about how brief and dull his life has become.
He begins a process of recalling his childhood in Combray.
The experience calls his attention to the likelihood that the following day will be depressing.
The experience reminds him of the reasons for his wearying day.
