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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. Who does the president have in mind to look after Tchitchikov's peasants?

2. What day of the week does Tchitchikov bathe?

3. With how many servants does Tchitchikov travel?

4. During what time does Dead Souls take place?

5. Whom does Tchitchikov tell Sobakevitch he likes the most of everyone he has met?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Plyushkin's appearance.

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

3. How does Tchitchikov feel when looking at his list of acquired souls?

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

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

6. What does Sobakevitch say about Plyushkin?

7. Why does Petrushka smell bad?

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

9. How does the narrator describe Nozdroyov's character?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the character Madame Korobotcha. What role does she play in the story? What is interesting about the way Tchitchikov treats her? How does Madame Korobotcha's role in the story help the reader to get a better idea about the motives and true nature of Tchitchikov?

Essay Topic 2

What is the purpose of having a biased narrator with a personality and opinions of his own? Does the narrator skew the reader's view of characters and events in the book? How is the book different once the biased narrator is gone?

Essay Topic 3

What point does Gogol make about the important men of Russia? List two characters that Gogol uses as caricatures of Russian noblemen. How are these characters used to make fun of the noblemen? What is Gogol criticizing? Is his attempt at making a point using caricatures effective?

(see the answer keys)

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