View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is making the narrator feel drunk?

2. For which paper does the narrator say he works?

3. Why does Mr. Christie decide against employing the narrator?

4. Of what is the woman in black's umbrella ring made?

5. What does the narrator tell the clerk at Semb's is wrapped in his blanket?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator react to the old cripple walking in front of him?

2. Why do the passers-by anger the narrator?

3. What lie does the narrator invent to explain why he returned for the pencil?

4. Why does the narrator stop to read the late editions of the newspapers, and for what does he apply?

5. How does the narrator treat the two women?

6. Why does Mr. Christie reject the narrator?

7. For what does C. Zacharias Bartel think the narrator has visited him, and why does he not want the narrator to see it?

8. What does the narrator find sitting on his bedside table when he returns to his old apartment?

9. Why does the narrator think of his banker friend?

10. What practical joke does the narrator decide to play on the passing policeman?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the book reflect the naturalist style of 19th century literature? Was Knut Hamsun influenced by any 19th century authors or philosophers?

Essay Topic 2

Fantasy plays a large role in this novel. Discuss the narrator and Ylayali's fantasies of one another. How do they differ from reality? How do you think they affect the character's actions?

Essay Topic 3

Hunger is translated from Norwegian to English. How much meaning can a book lose through a translation? What aspects of the book do you think would be the most difficult to express in English? How do you think a translator can overcome these difficulties?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 804 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample