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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 name of the town that Tchitchikov visits at the beginning of the novel?

2. How many dead souls does Plyushkin own?

3. What color is the ribbon tied around the paperwork documenting Manilov's serfs?

4. Where is Tchitchikov going when he runs into Manilov?

5. How many stories does the government building have?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Tchitchikov's hotel room.

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

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

5. What does Nozdroyov do when he arrives at the ball?

6. Describe Plyushkin's appearance.

7. How does Tchitchikov make himself feel better about not going after the young girl he meets?

8. How does Sobakevitch speak about the people with whom Tchitchikov has become friends?

9. Why does Tchitchikov tell Nozdroyov that he wants dead souls?

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 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?

Essay Topic 2

What is the importance of the public prosecutor's death? What does his death symbolize? How does Gogol use the ridiculousness of the sudden death to prove a point?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Manilov and Nozdroyov. How are they alike? How are they different? How would the novel be different without them? Who has more of an effect on the plot of the novel? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 616 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample