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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 subject is the postmaster interested in?

2. Who comes into Nozdroyov's house looking for him?

3. With whom does Plyushkin's eldest daughter run off?

4. What has Nozdroyov been doing when he meets with Tchitchikov?

5. What does Manilov serve Tchitchikov for dinner?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Petrushka smell bad?

2. How does Tchitchikov spend his first day in N?

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

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

5. Describe Plyushkin's estate.

6. What does Tchitchikov ask the servant at the hotel?

7. Why does Tchitchikov think Nozdroyov would be a good person to buy dead souls from?

8. What happens when Tchitchikov asks the clerk to complete his sales?

9. Why does become Nozdroyov become angry with Tchitchikov and attacks him?

10. How do the women at the ball feel about Tchitchikov's interest in the general's daughter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How are Russian women portrayed in the novel? What is the significance of this portrayal? How are the women used to satirize Russian life? How do the women drive the novel's plot? Cite several examples from the book to support your case.

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

Cite two instances where foreshadow is used in the novel. What can the reader guess is going to happen based on these instances? Why is foreshadow an important literary device for Gogol to use, especially considering the biased narrator telling the first part of the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 594 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample