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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 kind of alcohol do Arkady and Bazarov drink at Kukshin's house?

2. What is the name of the main protagonist?

3. Where does Anna invite the two young men?

4. How does the author say that Pavel conducts himself?

5. Who overhears Bazarov lecturing Arkady on old ways of thinking?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Anna and Katya react to Arkady and Bazarov's presence?

2. Why does Anna withdraw her affections for Barradov?

3. Describe Vassily's profession.

4. In what way could Bazarov's love for Anna be seen as ironic?

5. What prompts Arkady to declare his love for Katya?

6. What suggestion is there in chapter 20 that Bazarov and Arkady maybe changing their perspective on life?

7. How did Pavel meet the Russian princess?

8. In what way is the generational gap between the two young men and Pavel and Nikolai evident in chapter 10?

9. How does Bazardov react to Anna's rejection?

10. Why do you think Turgenev sometimes addresses the reader directly?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the novel's dialogue. How does Turgenev's dialogue contribute to the following areas:

1) Character

2) Setting

3) Plot

Essay Topic 2

Exanine the differences between Arkady and Bazarov's upbringings. Do you think it makes a big difference to his relationship with his father that Arkady mother died early? How has Vassily's doting affected Bazarov's character? Were they are true nihilists or did their upbringings prevent them from genuinely thinking in this way?

Essay Topic 3

In 1992 Fathers and Sons was made into a film starring Jeff Goldblum and directed by Paul Mones. Why do you think the themes and ideas in the book were still relevant over one hundred years later? Do you think the ideas expressed are timeless and universal? What issues in the novel do you think are unlikely to be understood by today's audiences?

(see the answer keys)

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