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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. How do the extremists learn the King has escaped?
2. What animal did Shade's parents study?
3. John Shade's aunt is best described as what?
4. What is the assassin's real name?
5. Charles Kinbote assumes John Shade wanted to write a great deal more about Zembla, but did not. Who or what does Kinbote attribute this too?
Short Essay Questions
1. Briefly describe the supernatural occurrences in Canto Two.
2. What are a few of John Shade's pet peeves?
3. How are Gradus and Kinbote similar?
4. Briefly describe John Shade's vision of the after-life.
5. How does John Shade understand life?
6. What do we learn about John Shade's Aunt Maud in Canto One?
7. Does it surprise you that John Shade renounces religion yet he wants to believe in the after-life?
8. Give examples from the text of reasons that the Extremists are unable to find King Charles once he escapes.
9. Describe John Shade's daughter.
10. What clues do you see that Charles Kinbote may not be what he seems?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
How does Nabokov use references of other literary works in his novel Pale Fire? Give as many examples of references to other works as you can from the text, and describe what Nabokov accomplishes by including them in the novel.
Essay Topic 2
In the commentary to Line 171 Gradus, the assassin, is said to have had a job at a glass factory.
Could this be a figment of Charles Kinbote's imagination, and if so why would Kinbote make up such a job for the assassin?
Why do you think Nabokov chose to have Kinbote give Gradus this job?
Why does Nabokov choose to have Kinbote portray Gradus as a failure at this job?
Does it matter if Gradus really had such a job?
Use specific examples from the text to support your claims.
Essay Topic 3
Charles Kinbote is an unreliable narrator.
Cite specific examples of how Vladimir Nabokov portrays Kinbote as an unreliable narrator.
Do you think this tactic was effective for the story? Why or why not?
How would the novel, Pale Fire, have been different if Kinbote was a reliable narrator?
Why did Nabokov choose to portray Kinbote the way he did?
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This section contains 855 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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