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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. From context, what is the likely meaning of the word "dactyl" in "On the other side...towered, arising from dactyl to dactyl, an ancient black castle" (14)?

2. What is the tour group doing in the passage that says "they raised dust along a highway" (12)?

3. What does Ivanovich do to distract himself from "the absurdity and horror of the situation" (6)?

4. What does Ivanovich feel is happening as the first night of the tour wears on?

5. Including Ivanovich and the Bureau employees, how many people are in the tour group?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what two reasons does Ivanovich sleep badly on the night before the trip begins?

2. What happens at dinnertime on the first day of the trip?

3. What does Ivanovich do at each of the train stations on the first day of the trip, and what does this show about his character?

4. On the third day of the tour, what does Ivanovich see that makes him feel the happiness he dreamed he might find on the trip?

5. How does Ivanovich end up going on a tour that he does not want to go on?

6. What is frustrating for Ivanovich about the beauty in the landscapes he sees from the train?

7. How does Ivanovich end up losing the game that they play on the train, and what happens as a consequence?

8. What does Ivanovich do as soon as he sits down in the train on the first morning of the trip, and what is the group's reaction?

9. What kinds of things does Ivanovich feel passion for, and what kinds of things does he dislike?

10. With whom does Ivanovich spend the first night, and how does this person keep Ivanovich awake?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the motif of marginalization in "Cloud, Castle, Lake." Support your ideas with textual evidence.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the significance of Ivanovich's status as a Russian refugee in "Cloud, Castle, Lake." Be sure to support your assertions with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that analyzes the relationship between Nabokov's own life experiences and the story "Cloud, Castle, Lake." Be sure to offer textual support for your claims and to cite all sources in MLA format.

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