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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. What is the manner in which Golyadkin says that Golyadkin Junior has sucked up to people?

2. How does Golyadkin characterize his own behavior toward his guest?

3. What sensation does the reader get when Golyadkin says that he keeps to the straight and narrow, and that he despises deviousness?

4. How did the previous day’s events affect Golyadkin?

5. What does Petrushka tell Golyadkin when he gets home at the beginning of Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the interview Golyadkin and Golyadkin Junior have in the coffee shop.

2. What is Golyadkin Junior like when Golyadkin finds him at the office?

3. Describe the letter Golyadkin sends to Golyadkin Junior.

4. What response does Golyadkin get to his letter?

5. How does Golyadkin Junior take advantage of Golyadkin?

6. What are Golyadkin’s feelings as he concludes the night with Golyadkin Junior?

7. What does the narrator say about Golyadkin’s tendency to exacerbate his feelings?

8. Describe Golyadkin’s state as he chases Golyadkin after they leave the office together, and how does this state relate to Golyadkin’s previous states?

9. What is the importance of the letter Golyadkin receives from Klara Olsufyevna?

10. What happens after Golyadkin leaves the office at the end of the day?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an evaluative review of The Double. What is this book’s place in culture? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate the proposition that The Double is best read in a state of comic diversion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 912 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample