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

Short Answer Questions

1. What tutor looks like the French actor Max Linder?

2. What does he do with a poem before he writes it down?

3. What does Nabokov remember about his father's remarkable writing ability?

4. How does Lett punish the boys?

5. When does his first poem take shape in his mind?

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

What is significant about Nabokov's time spent in Biarritz? What does one learn about his character and view of women?

Essay Topic 3

Nabokov lives a bourgeois, aristocratic life.

Part 1) What evidence from the text suggests this?

Part 2) When and why does this lifestyle end?

Part 3) How does Nabokov handle this change in lifestyle?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 263 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample