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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 the neighbors think of Eugene after he rejects Tatyana?

2. What was Eugene Onegin and Vladimir Lensky's favorite topic of discussion?

3. How long has Vladimir Lensky known Olga?

4. Which of the following does Eugene tell Tatyana in response to her letter?

5. What does Vladimir Lensky write poetry about?

Short Essay Questions

1. Even while Tatyana is recovering from her rejection, how are Olga and Vladimir doing?

2. When Eugene becomes tired of his social life and routine and falls into depression, what does he do?

3. At the end of chapter two, the narrator introduces one of the topics that relates back to his theme of cycles. What is it, and what event in the story brings it up?

4. How does Eugene Onegin receive Tatyana's letter?

5. There are two sets of literary foils, or opposites, that the reader is introduced to in the country. Who are the two sets and how are they opposites?

6. What is the story of Olga and Tatyana's mother's marriage?

7. Describe the activities of a typical day in the life of Eugene Onegin.

8. Who is Tatyana? What is she like?

9. Who is Vladimir in love with? What is she like?

10. How is Tatyana after being rejected by Eugene Onegin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both of Tatyana's mother and nurse were married by an arranged marriage, and in the end Tatyana herself marries a man that her parents chose. Discuss arranged marriages.

Part 1. Many cultures have histories of arranged marriages. What are their benefits and downsides?

Part 2. How did the arranged marriage work out for Tatyana's mother? Was she better off than if she had married the dandy gambler she had fancied in her youth?

Part 3. If her parents had not pressured her, Tatyana would have stayed single after Eugene rejected her. Was she better off married to the good and powerful man that she married?

Part 4. Looking at both Tatyana and her mother from a societal view instead of a personal one, are they better contributing members of society in the roles their parents have chosen for them or in the roles they would have chosen for themselves? Is this important?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator goes on a side tangent about Russian and French when he claims that Tatyana wrote her letter in French. Discuss Tatyana's supposed use of French for her letter.

Part 1. Why would Tatyana, a Russian girl, speak French better than Russian?

Part 2. Are there other places where French existed in a similar fashion to Russia? Can we see any remnants of that today?

Part 3. The narrator insinuates that some languages are better than others for expressing specific things - specifically he notes a love letter is most appropriate in French. Do you agree that different languages have different strengths and weaknesses in their ability to express different things? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Eugene's rejection of Tatyana in the garden was complex and it's consequences manifold. Write an essay about this pivotal interaction.

Part 1. Although Eugene was being honest to Tatyana, was he also being a coward? Did he miss his chance for salvation?

Part 2. Was Eugene correct in his foretelling of what their married life would be like? Could things have been different?

Part 3. In the end of the novel Tatyana admits she is unhappy in her position and still loves Eugene. Was his rejection of her in the garden ultimately to her benefit despite this?

(see the answer keys)

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