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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 causes Mrs. Stavrogin to separate with Stepan Verkhovensky?

2. How are the youth of the town behaving at the time of the fête?

3. What happens on Stavrogin's third shot?

4. What does Peter ask his father in front of the group?

5. How are Mrs. Stavrogin's views changing as time goes on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Erkel and Peter tell Shatov when they meet with him?

2. Describe Mrs. Stavrogin's relationship with Verkhovensky.

3. Who is responsible for killing Mary and Captain Lebyatkin?

4. What does Peter ask his father after he (Peter) has recounted the story of Stavrogin and Miss Lebyatkin?

5. Why is Stepan's house searched?

6. What business does Peter conduct with Kirilov in the raining cold of the night?

7. What is Mrs. Stavrogin's response to Stepan Verkhovensky's letter to Peter about Dasha?

8. What is the purpose of the gathering at Mr. Virginsky's house?

9. What stories and events are swirling in the aftermath of the confrontation that ended Part 1?

10. What is Verkhovensky's status in Russian society?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of literature in The Possessed? What kinds of literature are there, and what do characters expect from writers and from novels and from tracts? What effect do writers and literature have on society?

Essay Topic 2

What kinds of violence are depicted in The Possessed? Are there different rules and expectations for each kind of violence? Are some kinds of violence more effective in resolving problems than others? Is violence ever a useful tool in The Possessed, or is it always merely destructive?

Essay Topic 3

Are Shatov and Stepan Verkhovensky heroes in The Possessed? Why or why not? Are Peter Verkhovensky and Stavrogin heroes? Are they villains?

(see the answer keys)

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