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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 did Charles Kinbote do with the cat?

2. Charles Kinbote gave John Shade a detailed drawing of King Charles' castle; what does he want John Shade's wife to do with the picture?

3. According to Kinbote, who was Thurgus the Third's lover?

4. Who is the previous inhabitant of Charles Kinbote's house?

5. Charles Kinbote thinks the reference to "that crystal land" in line 12 refers to what place?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Gradus and Kinbote similar?

2. How is Kinbote critical of Professor Hurley?

3. How does John Shade understand life?

4. Cite an early clue that Charles Kinbote is an unreliable narrator.

5. How does John Shade describe himself as a youth in Canto One?

6. What do we learn about John Shade's Aunt Maud in Canto One?

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

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

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

10. What do we learn about King Charles X in Canto Two?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Reflection is a major motif of the fictional poem "Pale Fire," and in the novel's commentary and foreword.

Give specific examples of Nabokov's use of reflection as it pertains to looking back at past events?

How does Nabokov use reflection in terms of mirror images or opposites?

How do these two interpretations of reflection work together in Shade's writing, and Kinbote's commentary?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, the game of chess reappears in various scenes, and is played by a variety of characters.

Cite specific examples Nabokov uses of the game of chess throughout the novel.

Why do you think Nabokov chooses to incorporate the game of chess into the novel the way he does?

Essay Topic 3

Charles Kinbote is clearly infatuated with John Shade. What do you think Shade's feeling are towards Kinbote in general?

If you were John Shade, how would you react to Kinbote's commentary on "Pale Fire"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 793 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample