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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 do some people say about Hanov?

2. How old was Marya when her parents died?

3. How many years has Marya been a schoolmistress?

4. What happened when Marya went to the Zemstvo board to complain about another school worker?

5. What does Marya recall Hanov's exam papers smelling like the year before?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. Describe Hanov.

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

8. What does Marya think of the school inspector?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Chekhov's commentary on aging in "The Schoolmistress" How is Marya and Hanov's aging discussed in the story? How does it affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay describing the imagery used in “The Schoolmistress.” Describe examples of imagery in the text and identify possible meanings.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the theme of isolation in “The Schoolmistress.”

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This section contains 567 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample