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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 tone of the letter Golyadkin receives in response to his letter to Golyadkin Junior?

2. What time is it when reaches the office?

3. What does Golyadkin Junior chide Golyadkin for in His Excellency’s presence?

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

5. What gives Golyadkin a “voluptuous pleasure”?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Golyadkin Junior take advantage of Golyadkin?

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

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

5. What profound experience does Golyadkin have in his sleep?

6. 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?

7. Describe the letter Golyadkin sends to Golyadkin Junior.

8. What is the outcome of Golyadkin’s appeal to His Excellency?

9. Describe Golyadkin Junior’s entrance into the office.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What explanation does Dostoevsky give the reader to explain Golyadkin’s guilt, or the visitation by his Double? What are the advantages and disadvantages of Dostoevsky’s leaving this ambiguous?

Essay Topic 2

How does Dostoevsky characterize Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin? Is he a sympathetic character? Is he realistic? Is he an Everyman? Is he a symbol of something? Using examples from the text, describe Dostoevsky’s accomplishment in creating Golyadkin.

Essay Topic 3

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

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