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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What typically goes on at the I.P.H.?
(a) People gather to discuss the after-life.
(b) People gather to discuss different species of birds.
(c) People gather to discuss Zemblan history.
(d) Poets gather to read their work.

2. Of the following, what do John Shade and the assassin have in common?
(a) They were both born in Russia.
(b) They both had aunts who were put in an asylum.
(c) They were both Zemblan kings.
(d) They both were orphaned.

3. John Shade vows to further explore what in Canto Two?
(a) Reincarnation vs. heaven and hell.
(b) The possibility of an afterlife.
(c) The Zemblan Kings and their Gods.
(d) The depths of human consciousness.

4. Of the following, which most accurately describes the lines in the first stanza of Canto One?
(a) They are written in ryhming couplets.
(b) They are symetrical.
(c) They lack punctuation
(d) They have the same number of words

5. What does Kinbote want us to believe was the catalyst for John Shade's choice to set "Pale Fire" during the winter months?
(a) The Zemblan King's assasination in January.
(b) Bird flying south for the winter.
(c) The great tragedy Shade has experienced during winter.
(d) Shade meeting Kinbote during the previous winter.

6. Which of the following best describes John Shade's daughter?
(a) Humble and worried.
(b) Unattractive and intellegent.
(c) Attractive, but tormented.
(d) Introverted, but fascinating.

7. What is the assassin's real name?
(a) Jack Degree.
(b) Jakob Gradus.
(c) Jacques de Gray.
(d) Jake Ravus.

8. How do the extremists try to prevent King Charles from leaving the country?
(a) They search all caves.
(b) They outlaw driving.
(c) They search all trains.
(d) They close all the airports.

9. Which pair best describe the prominent motifs of the first Canto?
(a) Nature and death.
(b) Nature and technology.
(c) Innocence and loss.
(d) Windows and snow.

10. How did King Alfin the Vague die?
(a) He had a stroke.
(b) He committed suicide.
(c) In a plane crash.
(d) He was assassinated.

11. How do the extremists think King Charles will try to escape Zembla?
(a) By car.
(b) By plane.
(c) On foot.
(d) By boat.

12. While he makes his way through the mountains, King Charles stops to spend the night in which of the following places?
(a) In an abandoned car.
(b) On a farm.
(c) In the woods.
(d) In a cave.

13. On what day did John Shade begin composing his poem "Pale Fire?"
(a) We are not told explicitly, only that it is during the summer.
(b) July 1st.
(c) July 5th.
(d) July 4th.

14. Which of the following best describes John Shade's idea of life on earth?
(a) Sad and cold.
(b) Colorful and bright.
(c) Dark and painful.
(d) Meaningless and random.

15. The phrase "pale fire" is used in the foreword to describe what?
(a) The snow in New Wye.
(b) The reflection of sunlight off the moon.
(c) A squirrel.
(d) Index cards burning in an incinerator.

Short Answer Questions

1. The final couplet of "Pale Fire" describes what image?

2. Who helps King Charles escape?

3. Which of the following best describes a recurring theme in the first Canto?

4. What are the two most important things in Shade's life?

5. Where did Kinbote and Shade meet?

(see the answer keys)

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