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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who finds himself surrounded by social elites whose view of the Revolution is, at least at first, far more positive than his own?

2. When does Nabokov begin to write poetry?

3. What is Nabokov's favorite Captain Mayne Reid novel?

4. What puts Nabokov at odds with many of his colleagues?

5. Who does Nabokov marry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nabokov includes a chapter about butterflies.

Part 1) Why does he include this chapter?

Part 2) What does this say about Nabokov as a person?

Part 3) Must the author's purpose for a work be the only basis for studying and analyzing that work? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Nabokov seems to have a close relationship with his father.

Part 1) Describe their relationship.

Part 2) Compare and contrast Nabokov's relationship with his father and his relationship with his mother.

Part 3) What are possible reasons for the differences in the two relationships?

Essay Topic 3

There is a great gulf between classes in early-twentieth century Russia.

Part 1) What evidence from the text proves this statement.

Part 2) How does this separation of classes affect Russia?

Part 3) How might Nabokov's experiences have changed once he emigrates to Western Europe, and finally to the United States? How mighthe feel about these changes?

(see the answer keys)

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