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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. After offering his condolences, what does Peter Ivanovich tell Praskovya Fedorovna?

2. In Chapter 6, is Ivan able to replace his thoughts of death?

3. What two things that Ivan Ilych hears down the hall makes him react as he does?

4. Is Ivan Ilych in denial about his condition?

5. Who is the first character introduced in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. Initially, how did Ivan react to this self-revelation in Chapter 5?

2. What is the major conflict in "The Death of Ivan Ilych?" What is a minor conflict in "The Death of Ivan Ilych?"

3. What does Gerasim symbolize?

4. How does Ivan cope with the knowledge that he is dying?

5. Why does Ivan experience only temporary relief when his family leaves in Chapter 8?

6. Discuss the irony in Ivan resenting his dying from something so trivial as falling off the step ladder.

7. Explain how Ivan can be said to be in the depression stage of dying in Chapter 10.

8. Describe how Ivan and others' initial response to his illness are classic examples of the denial stage of dying.

9. Identify the crisis for Ivan in Chapter 5.

10. What is Ivan's feeling of suffocation symbolize in Chapter 12?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose several passages of good description from "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and explain how the descriptions help the reader to experience the events in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Ivan and Gerasim. What is the relationship and/or purpose of these two characters, specifically, in this novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the use of irony in "The Death of Ivan Ilych." How is irony used in novel? Does Tolstoy use one kind of irony more than another?

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