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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 consequence does Stavrogin suffer after he is punched in the face?

2. What is Julia Lembke's hope for the children?

3. How does Chapter 5 begin?

4. Which topic is on the schedule of events for the fête?

5. Who else arrives in Chapter 5 and takes part in Mrs. Stavrogin's conversation?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is on the schedule for the fête, and what is Julia Lembke's position in town on the eve of the fête?

3. How are Liputin, Shatov and Virginsky described when we meet them?

4. Describe the events that take place on stage at the fête.

5. What is Kirilov's view of life, and how does Peter respond to it?

6. How are Stavrogin and Lisa getting along the morning after the night they spent together?

7. What kind of uprising is Peter planning?

8. What story does Stepan, in his fever, think is representative of contemporary Russia?

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

10. What do Lisa Tushin and Kaptain Lebyatkin have in common?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

What images or symbols repeat throughout The Possessed? How are images built into symbols, and what symbolic resonance do images acquire? Choose three images, and describe the symbolic associations the obtain throughout the book.

Essay Topic 3

What is the genre of The Possessed? Is it a realistic novel of Russian life, or is it something else? A philosophical melodrama? A political thriller? An allegory of radicalism?

(see the answer keys)

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