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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 does the narrator say of Tatyana?

2. What does Tatyana do when Eugene arrives at the Larin household.

3. Why does Vladimir Lensky leave the company of Eugene Onegin each evening once their friendship is established?

4. Which of the following best describes Tatyana?

5. What does the narrator think of Eugene's actions?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Eugene Onegin receive Tatyana's letter?

2. How is Tatyana after being rejected by Eugene Onegin?

3. Describe the character of Eugene Onegin.

4. Even while Tatyana is recovering from her rejection, how are Olga and Vladimir doing?

5. There are two sets of literary foils, or opposites, that the reader is introduced to in the country. Who are the two sets and how are they opposites?

6. In chapter one the narrator is briefly a character in his own story. What interaction does the narrator have with Eugene?

7. What is the story of Olga and Tatyana's mother's marriage?

8. What is Eugene doing when the novel opens? How does he feel about it?

9. Who is Vladimir in love with? What is she like?

10. How do Eugene and the narrator differ about how they feel about the country? Why do you think the narrator tells us this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator, who often refers to himself as the poet, plays with poetry throughout his own poem. Discuss the following topics, or any others, of Pushkins humorous and playful treatment of poetry throughout his poem.

Part 1. Vladimir is a poet but Eugene cannot write poetry.

Part 2. Vladimir writes insipid poetry the narrator is not fond of.

Part 3. The narrator is reduced to reading his poetry to ducks and scares them away when he does so.

Part 4. In his despair at the end of the story, Eugene nearly resorts to poetry.

Essay Topic 2

The narrator goes on a side tangent about Russian and French when he claims that Tatyana wrote her letter in French. Discuss Tatyana's supposed use of French for her letter.

Part 1. Why would Tatyana, a Russian girl, speak French better than Russian?

Part 2. Are there other places where French existed in a similar fashion to Russia? Can we see any remnants of that today?

Part 3. The narrator insinuates that some languages are better than others for expressing specific things - specifically he notes a love letter is most appropriate in French. Do you agree that different languages have different strengths and weaknesses in their ability to express different things? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Eugene's rejection of Tatyana in the garden was complex and it's consequences manifold. Write an essay about this pivotal interaction.

Part 1. Although Eugene was being honest to Tatyana, was he also being a coward? Did he miss his chance for salvation?

Part 2. Was Eugene correct in his foretelling of what their married life would be like? Could things have been different?

Part 3. In the end of the novel Tatyana admits she is unhappy in her position and still loves Eugene. Was his rejection of her in the garden ultimately to her benefit despite this?

(see the answer keys)

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