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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 the principal tell Marya when she tries to discuss her grievances about the watchman?

2. What do some people say about Hanov?

3. What happened when the watchman hit the schoolboys?

4. Why did Marya and her brother stop writing to each other?

5. Who does Hanov say he is going to visit when he sees Marya and her driver?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Marya think of the school inspector?

2. Describe Hanov.

3. What does Marya think of Hanov as their cart follows his?

4. Which of Marya's coworkers does she try to get dismissed and what comes of it?

5. What does Marya think of on the cart at the start of "The Schoolmistress"?

6. What does Marya Vassilyevna do for work? How long has she had the occupation? Where is she going at the start of "The Schoolmistress"?

7. What do readers learn of Marya's past at the start of "The Schoolmistress"?

8. What news from Moscow does Semyon tell Marya he heard at Ivan Ionov's tavern?

9. What is the only thing Marya keeps from her past?

10. What did Hanov do at Marya's school the year before the story takes place?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Chekhov 's decision to tell the story using third person limited point-of-view from Marya’s perspective. How does this impact the reader's understanding of the story's events? Is this effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring the theme of corruption and mistrust in the story “The Schoolmistress.” Which characters are mistrusted? Why? What characters are thought to be corrupt? Which characters are mistreated and by whom?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay discussing the setting and time period of “The Schoolmistress.” In what ways does the time period and setting impact your understanding of the story as well as the themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 661 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample