View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What season does The Double take place in?

2. What does Golyadkin mean when he says that something is a “Russian proverb”?

3. What troubles Golyadkin in the middle of his shopping trip?

4. What reason does the narrator give for his inability to describe the scene at the banquet?

5. What does Golyadkin dream about after he speaks to Klara Olsufyevna?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Krestyan Ivanovich’s opinion of Golyadkin?

2. What is Golyadkin’s purpose in getting into Olsufy Ivanovich’s banquet?

3. What confession does Golyadkin make to Krestyan Ivanovich?

4. Describe Golyadkin’s entrance into Olsufy Ivanovich’s banquet.

5. Describe the chase the stranger leads Golyadkin on.

6. Describe Golyadkin’s departure from the banquet.

7. What is the literary effect of the scene in Krestyan Ivanovich’s office?

8. Describe Golyadkin’s shipping trip to Gostiny Dvor.

9. Describe Golyadkin’s entrance into Krestyan Ivanovich’s office.

10. Describe the weather into which Golyadkin is expelled from the banquet.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 2

Would you recommend The Double? For what purposes would you recommend The Double, and what kinds of readers would you recommend it for? What other book would you recommend that would cover the same material or tell the same story in a different way?

Essay Topic 3

Is the Double a particularly Russian novella? Is it limited to its courtly setting, or is it a universal tale about human psychology?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 853 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample