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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. Kinbote believes who will be punished by God?
2. According to Kinbote, where did the Queen go when Zembla was invaded?
3. Kinbote describes Russian soldiers giving what to Zemblan children?
4. Which of the following does Kinbote discuss in this section?
5. What is one major point Kinbote and Shade disagree on?
Short Essay Questions
1. What does Kinbote relate to the death of Hazel?
2. Comment on a few similarities between Charles Kinbote and King Charles.
3. Briefly summarize the conversation Kinbote overhears between Shade and Mrs. Hurley, and its relevance to "Pale Fire."
4. What does Kinbote do when he runs into Shade on the way to the doctor's office?
5. How does Kinbote summarize Canto Four?
6. What is ironic about Kinbote criticizing Shade for using a title from another work for one of his own books?
7. What is significant about the way Shade relates his name to the word "ombre" a French word that connotes shadows and darkness?
8. How does Kinbote respond when a professor tells him he looks like King Charles? Why might he react that way?
9. What do you think of Kinbote's disregard for psychoanalysis?
10. Give a brief account of the events involving Disa and King Charles after the revolution.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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?
Essay Topic 2
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"?
Essay Topic 3
Compare the way Charles Kinbote portrays himself vs. the way he is viewed by others. Based on his actions, how would you describe the "real" Charles Kinbote? Based on your description of Kinbote, and the difference in the way he is perceived by others compared to his view of himself, write an essay commenting on Nabokov's choice to have a person like this narrate the story instead of writing the novel with a third-person omniscient narrator describing Kinbote, his treatment of "Pale Fire" and his relationships with the other characters in the novel.
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This section contains 801 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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