View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Of the following, which most accurately describes the lines in the first stanza of Canto One?

2. On what day did John Shade begin composing his poem "Pale Fire?"

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

4. What was John Shade's "first book" as mentioned in Canto Four?

5. After King Charles is out of the mountains, he receives a message to go to which of the following locations?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Briefly describe King Alfin the Vague.

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

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

5. Briefly describe John and Sybil Shade's relationship.

6. List a few possible motivations for Shade's desire to learn more about the after-life.

7. How are Gradus and Kinbote similar?

8. Briefly describe the supernatural occurrences in Canto Two.

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

10. What is Kinbote's secret?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the assonance and consonance in the poem "Pale Fire." How does Nabokov use these literary tools throughout the poem?

Essay Topic 2

Compare Kinbote's actions to those of Gradus. How are these two characters similar?

Why do you think Kinbote describes Gradus the way he does in the commentary to Line 171?

Do you find this description ironic? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the way Nabokov uses flashbacks in the novel Pale Fire. How many instances are there? How do flashbacks help propel the plot? How would this story have been different if it were written in present tense?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 794 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample