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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. When he wakes in the hospital, what does Luzhin ask a nurse?

2. What excuse does Luzhin give for slipping off on his own?

3. Where does Mrs. Luzhin take her husband that he's never been before?

4. What color does Luzhin choose for his suit?

5. When was the last time Luzhin had been in church before his wedding?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Luzhin realize when he overhears his wife talking to her visitor?

2. What are Mrs. Luzhin's political opinions about the Soviet Union?

3. What does Valentinov want Luzhin to do for him?

4. What word keeps going through Mrs. Luzhin's mind on her wedding night, and what does it mean?

5. What does Luzhin see in the window of a stationery store that fascinates him?

6. At the ball, how does Mrs. Luzhin compare the movie actresses to her husband in her mind?

7. What memory of his father does Luzhin recall when he stops to buy fruit?

8. How does Luzhin act in the days before his wedding?

9. Why does Mrs. Luzhin find it difficult to locate her husband at the ball?

10. How does Luzhin feel at his wedding reception?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the psychiatric treatment of Luzhin in the book.

1) How does the psychiatrist view Luzhin? How does the psychiatrist's point of view and perspective affect how he treats Luzhin? Discuss the psychiatrist's ideas on Luzhin's childhood, on chess, and on marriage for Luzhin.

2) How effective is the psychiatrist's treatment of Luzhin? How does it benefit Luzhin, and how does it fail?

3) What affects the psychiatrist's ability to treat Luzhin?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss social norms and expectations in the novel.

1) How does Luzhin fit into society, and how do the norms and expectations of society affect him?

2) How are the normal, everyday tasks that people undertake different for Luzhin? How does this affect his ability to fit into society?

3) How do Luzhin's in-laws represent social norms and expectations, and how do they perceive Luzhin?

Essay Topic 3

Luzhin is a master chess player. Discuss chess in the novel.

1) When Luzhin sees a chess board, the pieces are just placeholders. He perceives something entirely abstract behind the board. What is it that Luzhin perceives? Why is it appealing to him? What does his relationship with chess show about his personality?

2) Near the end of the novel, Luzhin sees his life as a chess game. How is his life like a game of chess? Who is his opponent? What is he attempting to win? How does the chess analogy show how Luzhin is perceiving his world and his limitations in perceiving the world?

3) Why does Luzhin feel the need to hide his love for chess? In what ways is Luzhin ambivalent about chess? Is chess truly deadly unhealthy for Luzhin, as his psychiatrist says?

(see the answer keys)

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