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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 aristocrats confront the ocean waves?

2. Why does Young Vladimir favor the new methods of studying butterflies?

3. What does Nabokov call the process of using both the English and Russian translations of "Speak, Memory" to shape the current work?

4. Who occupies one of the estates near St. Petersburg when not abroad?

5. This chapter is the first recorded work, published in French in 1936, under the name "Mademoiselle O."

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Kirill?

2. How does Nabokov begin this final chapter?

3. What does young Vladimir think about when he wakes in the morning?

4. What schooling does Nabokov's father receive?

5. The aristocratic Nabokov house is stocked with English and French amenities. What are some of the amenities?

6. What jobs does Nabokov's father hold throughout his career?

7. What does he learn about himself, regarding Russian poets?

8. How do the Nabokovs travel from St. Petersburg to Paris?

9. What happens to the family once they leave Russia?

10. Explain the process used to create this book.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nabokov matures throughout this book.

Part 1) What evidence is there from the text that Nabokov is changing physically and emotionally?

Part 2) How does his father handle Nabokov's intimate questions, regarding changes in his body?

Part 3) Describe his relationships with girls. How do these relationships change as he grows up?

Essay Topic 2

Nabokov and his brother go through a series of nannies, governesses, and tutors.

Part 1) Choose four of these individuals. Describe them, and explain how the children benefit from their services.

Part 2) How does Nabokov, similar to many children, treat the nannies, governesses, and tutors?

Part 3) How does Nabokov's relationship with these individuals reveal his opinion of hired help and those in lower social classes?

Essay Topic 3

Nabokov has always had difficulty sleeping.

Part 1) Why?

Part 2) What is the purpose of an autobiography?

Part 3) What is the purpose of this autobiography?

(see the answer keys)

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