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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. Why does Mrs. Luzhin avoid mentioning large cities when talking of traveling?

2. What does Luzhin do when he gets into the cab with his new wife after the wedding reception?

3. What kinds of articles does Mrs. Luzhin have her husband read to her?

4. What does Luzhin teach himself, after visiting his father-in-law's office?

5. What is the house number of Luzhin's father's former house?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Luzhin react after meeting an old acquaintance at the ball?

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

3. How does Luzhin react to the parties of intellectuals that his wife entertains?

4. How does Luzhin kill himself?

5. What does Luzhin think when the lights come on again after Ivan has knocked over the lamp?

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

7. What is Luzhin doing when Ivan knocks over the lamp?

8. What does Luzhin's future mother-in-law feel as the wedding approaches?

9. What does Luzhin's psychiatrist say about the possibility of him marrying?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss conscious and unconscious awareness in the novel.

1) Is Luzhin conscious of what he wants, needs, and feels? How does he relate to his own feelings? What goes on below the surface in his mind?

2) How conscious is Luzhin's wife of her own motivations, needs, and feelings? How does she explain her motivations to herself?

3) How conscious are Luzhin's in-laws, parents, and psychiatrist of their own motivations and what drives them? How is Luzhin's father aware of his drives and needs?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the structure of the novel.

1) What divides the novel into sections or parts? What roles do these parts play over the course of the novel?

2) How does Luzhin develop over the course of the novel? How does he change?

3) Why does the novel begin in Luzhin's boyhood?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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