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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. How many sleepless nights does Madame Korobotcha spend worrying about being cheated?

2. Where is Tchitchikov invited to dine after becoming popular?

3. How many souls does Tchitchikov have at the start of Part 1, Chapter 7?

4. How long does it take Tchitchikov to prepare the paperwork for the official purchase of his dead souls?

5. What do Tchitchikov and Selifan hear while traveling in the rain that makes them realize they have reached a village?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Madame Korobotcha's house.

2. Why does Tchitchikov need to go to the government building?

3. Why does Plyushkin sell his dead souls to Tchitchikov?

4. How do the people at the police captain's house treat Tchitchikov at the end of Part 1, Chapter 7?

5. Why does the narrator not go into detail about Selifan?

6. Why does Madame Korobotcha sell her souls to Tchitchikov?

7. Why does Petrushka smell bad?

8. Why is everyone in town talking about Tchitchikov at the beginning of Part 1, Chapter 8?

9. What does Sobakevitch say about Plyushkin?

10. What does Tchitchikov see as he approaches Sobakevitch's house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is significant about the houses of the people that Tchitchikov visits? Why do you think the author gives such vivid descriptions of the houses and their furnishings? How do the homes reflect their owners? Use examples from the text to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Why is it significant that the narrator refuses to quote Sofia and Anna speaking in French to each other? How does Gogol use his novel to call for a change in Russian society? What is he critical of? Use examples from the text to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Explore the use of immorality as a theme in the novel. Which characters are immoral? How does immorality drive the plot? What does the author seem to be saying about immorality, especially within the nobility?

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