View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who wants Katya to marry him?

2. In Act 1, Part 1, Rakitin states that Natalya is like what kind of animal?

3. How many serfs does the girl in Shpigelski's story inherit from her aunt?

4. Whom does Natalya accuse of being "mysterious"?

5. Whom does Natalya call "Mr. Detective"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the relationship between Natalya and Rakitin, as it stands in Act 1, Part 2.

2. Describe Natalya's childhood.

3. Why does Vera decide to marry Bolshintsov?

4. What makes Rakitin so happy in Act 1, Part 2?

5. What is the advice Shpigelski gives Bolshintsov regarding wooing women?

6. Why does Natalya believe that it's improper for Vera to be in the garden by herself with Beliayev?

7. Describe Natalya's thoughts on youth and old age, as presented in Act 2, Part 2.

8. What is the question that Natalya asks Rakitin in Act 1, Part 1, and why does he spend so much time thinking about it?

9. What does Rakitin think about in his soliloquy in Act 2, Part 2, and what conclusions does he reach?

10. Why does Katya insist that Beliayev take all her raspberries?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the cultural view of marriage in the play. Which characters act within the cultural expectations regarding marriage? Which ones do not? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the significance of Katya and Anna in propelling the plot forward.

Essay Topic 3

List all the characters who choose to leave Natalya's household and why. What effect will this exodus have on the characters who remain in the household?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 714 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample