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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. Who comes looking for the narrator as he is kicked out of his lodgings?

2. What does the narrator want to do before leaving Ylayali?

3. What happens to the narrator after visiting the grocer's for the second time?

4. How does Ylayali hide her shyness at her opened corset?

5. How does the narrator act on leaving Ylayali?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator put himself in view of The Chief?

2. A few days later, why is the narrator still sleeping in the family room?

3. Why does the narrator still try to force himself upon Ylayali?

4. What happens to the narrator that makes him aware of his mental sluggishness?

5. Why does the narrator not speak to the woman in black when he first sees her outside his apartment?

6. Why is the narrator moved into the family room?

7. Describe how the narrator leaves Ylayali's apartment.

8. How does the narrator react to seeing Ylayali with 'The Duke'?

9. What happens when the narrator is finally kicked out?

10. How does the narrator act towards Ylayali once they are upstairs?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think are the main mistakes the narrator makes in the novel? Why does he keep missing opportunities for food and money? How would you react in a similar situation?

Essay Topic 2

Look at the structure of the book. How does the author drive the narrative? How does the book's structure express the book's themes?

Essay Topic 3

The narrator's story is one of suffering. How does Knut Hamsun inject humor into the novel? How does the pace of the novel compare with the contents of the story? Do you think this is an effective literary device?

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