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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long does Ivan ponder his broader concept about life before his actual death?

2. Who insisted that Ivan's wife and family go out?

3. What does Ivan's wife tell him to do in Chapter 9?

4. How does Gerasim treat Ivan?

5. What month of Ivan's illness begins Chapter 7?

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

Why does Tolstoy choose to use the flashback technique in Chapter 1 when he begins the novel with the funeral? How does Tolstoy's use of this technique help to get the themes across?

Essay Topic 3

Explain and support how "The Death of Ivan Ilych" can change a reader's ideas about how to live. Look at the theme of the novel to answer the question. How has Ivan lived? Does Tolstoy's writing endorse Ivan's way of life? Does the tone of Tolstoy's writing warn against the way Ivan has lived?

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