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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. To whom does the narrator give his stolen money?

2. What does the narrator make from the blank piece of paper in his pocket?

3. What does the narrator make a habit of eating to stave off hunger?

4. What does the pawnbroker have attached to his door that makes a distinctive sound?

5. What falls out of the narrator's pocket as he takes out his papers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What stories does the narrator tell to explain the package with his green blanket inside?

2. What story does the narrator tell the old man?

3. Describe the narrator's apartment at the beginning of the novel.

4. How does the narrator view the red rocking chair when he decides to leave his apartment for good?

5. How does the narrator treat the two women?

6. Why is the narrator glad when the stable-boy asks him for five kroner?

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

8. How do the policemen throughout the novel treat the narrator?

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

10. Describe the narrator's fantasy of Princess Ylayali's castle.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hunger is written in the first person. Why do you think the author chose this voice? How do you think the effect of the book would be changed were the book written in the third person?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the portrayal of policemen in the novel. In what way does the author show a favorable attitude towards civil authority? What does this reveal about Knut Hamsun's own views?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the main themes of the story. In what way are these themes relevant to the period? How does the author use character and setting to express these themes?

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