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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 does Petrushka tell Golyadkin in the morning after Golyadkin had spent the night with Golyadkin Junior?

2. What does Golyadkin say is the status of his situation?

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

4. Whom does Golyadkin appeal to as his last resort?

5. Why can’t Golyadkin protest against injury in his sleepless visions?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Golyadkin’s explanation for Golyadkin Junior’s existence?

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

3. What is the state of affairs when Golyadkin arrives home and talks with Petrushka?

4. Describe the letter Golyadkin writes to Golyadkin Junior before going to the office.

5. How does Golyadkin Junior take advantage of Golyadkin?

6. How have things changed when Golyadkin wakes up in the morning after his drunken night with Golyadkin Junior.

7. What trick does Golyadkin Junior play on Golyadkin when he leaves the coffee house where they have been talking?

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

9. What is Golyadkin Junior’s demeanor like when he arrives at Golyadkin’s flat?

10. How does Golyadkin plan to resolve the situation with Golyadkin Junior?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what ways is The Double relevant to contemporary readers? What contemporary issues are in play in the book, and how would the book contribute to contemporary discussion? Cite specific discussions from contemporary sources, and cite specific instances from the book, that describe its contemporary relevance.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

What are the particular techniques Dostoevsky uses to convey the horror of Golyadkin’s situation? How does he keep the reader’s interest, and preserve the reader’s sense of strangeness in this encounter? What information is provided, and what information is withheld?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 918 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample