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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 friend has been writing to Vera, hoping that she'll write back?

2. According to Rakitin in Act 1, Part 1, where did he see Islayev earlier in the day?

3. What does Natalya primarily want for Kolya?

4. According to Shpigelski, what is the "main thing in marriage"?

5. In Act 1, Part 1, Rakitin states that Natalya is like what kind of animal?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Beliayev's opinion of writers.

2. Describe the progress of the game that Schaaf, Anna, and Liza are playing.

3. Describe what Islayev does for a living.

4. Why does Natalya not invite Shpigelski, Rakitin, and Bolshintsov to go fly the kite?

5. According to his soliloquy in Act 4, Part 2, what does Beliayev think about the events that have transpired with Natalya and Vera?

6. Why does Shpigelski say that he and Bolshintsov were searching for mushrooms?

7. Why is Islayev surprised to find Natalya and Rakitin in the hallway in Act 4, Part 3?

8. What is Vera's relationship to Natalya's household? How does Natalya characterize that relationship "in the eyes of the world" when she and Vera are talking in Act 3, Part 2?

9. Why does Shpigelski pretend to be witty and cheerful around his patients?

10. Describe the setting of Act 4, Part 1, and how the characters use it.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Natalya's thoughts about Beliayev in Act 1 with her thoughts about him in Act 5. How has her perception of him changed?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the role of Katya and the setting in which she has a modicum of control.

Essay Topic 3

Describe how Turgenev uses minor characters for comic relief in the play.

(see the answer keys)

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