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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which best describes Kinbote's reason for rejecting the offer by the first potential publisher of "Pale Fire"?
(a) Kinbote would not have full editorial control.
(b) Sybil Shade would not recieve her full share of the profits.
(c) He made Kinbote responsible for any errors in the commentary.
(d) He would not let Kinbote translate the poem into Zemblan.

2. How many lines are in Canto Four?
(a) 165 lines.
(b) 166 lines.
(c) 334 lines.
(d) 999 lines.

3. How do the people of Zembla aid in King Charles' flight?
(a) They provide Charles refuge along the way.
(b) They create a distraction with a hot air balloon.
(c) They dress like him to serve as decoys.
(d) They fight off the Extremists.

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

5. The first draft of "Pale Fire" was composed on a series of index cards. How many index cards did the author use?
(a) 334.
(b) 166.
(c) 4.
(d) 80.

Short Answer Questions

1. John Shade is skeptical but he wants to believe in what?

2. How do the extremists learn the King has escaped?

3. During what time of the year does John Shade prefer to write?

4. Which pair best describe the prominent motifs of the first Canto?

5. How do the extremists think King Charles will try to escape Zembla?

Short Essay Questions

1. Give some examples of translation as a theme in Canto One.

2. How does Kinbote characterize his relationship with John Shade?

3. Briefly describe Fleur.

4. What are some ways Kinbote tries to make the poem be about himself as opposed to Shade's childhood?

5. Briefly describe the IPH.

6. What are some early examples of reflection as a theme in the poem "Pale Fire?"

7. What is significant about the bird in Canto One?

8. Does it surprise you that John Shade renounces religion yet he wants to believe in the after-life?

9. How does Nabokov immediately create an artificial reality in the foreword to the novel Pale Fire?

10. How does Charles Kinbote portray himself in the foreword?

(see the answer keys)

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