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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do the townspeople think the Lebyatkins were killed?

2. Whom does Stavrogin defend from Peter?

3. What is the narrator's response to Stepan Verkhovensky's reaction to the search of Peter's house?

4. What does Shatov ask Kirilov for after he discovers that his wife is pregnant?

5. What happens to Stavrogin as the novel concludes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the moral of The Possessed? Is conversion to Christianity a real solution to the problems the book presents? Is there a difference between the social problems the book presents us with and the problems of individual morality that the characters face?

Essay Topic 2

How are women depicted in The Possessed? Are they mere symbols of sexual attributes like desirability and innocence and seduction, or are they individuals with complex feelings and thoughts? How are they distinguished from the male characters, or are they treated as similarly-independent, self-reliant souls?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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