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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. What is the Chief doing at the pier?

2. Where does the narrator leave his offering for the boy to find?

3. For what does the narrator ask from the lame man at the railway pier?

4. What is the prominent feature of the man spitting onto the child playing in the street?

5. What is the landlady doing while the narrator is trying to write in the family-room?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how the narrator leaves Ylayali's apartment.

2. What convinces the narrator that he is sane?

3. How does Queeny offend the narrator?

4. How does the narrator act towards Ylayali once they are upstairs?

5. Why do you think Ylayali is disappointed in the narrator?

6. How does the narrator dodge the street whore's invitation?

7. How does Queeny say he knows Ylayali?

8. Why do Ylayali and the narrator go up to her apartment?

9. Why is the narrator moved into the family room?

10. Who lives in the family room?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Towards the end of the novel, desecration becomes a central theme, both in the narrator's thoughts and in events. Discuss the symbolism used by Knut Hamsun. Is the final desecration of his pride an inevitable conclusion to the novel? What do you think are the author's opinions on this pride?

Essay Topic 2

Fantasy plays a large role in this novel. Discuss the narrator and Ylayali's fantasies of one another. How do they differ from reality? How do you think they affect the character's actions?

Essay Topic 3

Look at the structure of the book. How does the author drive the narrative? How does the book's structure express the book's themes?

(see the answer keys)

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