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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. The narrator states in Part 2, Chapter 20, “By permitting Lolita to study acting I had, fond fool, suffered her to” what?

2. Of his poem written about Lolita, H.H. says in Part 2, Chapter 25, “By psychoanalyzing this poem, I notice it is really” what?

3. Who is the author of the play The Enchanted Hunters in the novel?

4. How far does H.H. say he drove to buy books for Lolita while she was hospitalized in Part 2, Chapter 22?

5. What does H.H. buy for Lolita for her fifteenth birthday in Part 2, Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Miss Pratt advise H.H. regarding his stepdaughter’s sexual education in Part 2, Chapter 11?

2. When does Miss Pratt call H.H. to a meeting in Part 2, Chapter 11? What are his impressions as he enters the meeting?

3. What does H.H. remark about the poem he has written in Part 2, Chapter 25?

4. Why does H.H. regret not going to Mexico in Part 2, Chapter 3?

5. What does Miss Pratt suggest regarding Lolita’s performance in the drama department in Part 2, Chapter 11? How does H.H. respond?

6. Who does H.H. believe to be following him and Lolita in Part 2, Chapter 18? For how long has he been tailed?

7. How does H.H. describe his and Lolita’s arrival in Beardsley in Part 2, Chapter 4? Why has he come here?

8. Where does H.H. meet the character named Rita in Part 2? How does he describe their relationship?

9. How has Lolita’s behavior toward H.H. changed in Part 2, Chapter 3? What are his principle motivations in this chapter?

10. How does H.H. go about finding Lolita in Part 2, Chapter 23? How successful is he in tracking her down?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss H.H. as an unreliable narrator in describing his sexual encounter with Lolita in Part 1. What do you think the reality of the situation is for the girl? How would the story differ if it were told from Lolita’s point of view? Why does Nabokov choose to tell the story from H.H.’s perspective?

Essay Topic 2

Literary Allusion and Language

a. Discuss the author’s use of literary allusion in Lolita. Do you think that literature is the equivalent to H.H. as movies are to Lolita? What does this imply about their characters?

b. H.H. makes several references to the works of Edgar Allan Poe in the novel. What similarities exist between Lolita and Poe’s writing?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the setting of the novel. During what time period is the narrative set? How is this established through exposition? What aspects of this era stand out and how does the period differ from today?

(see the answer keys)

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