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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Laurence Clements wife's name?
(a) Janis.
(b) Jane.
(c) Judith.
(d) Joan.

2. Before leaving the library in Chapter 3, what word does Pnin look up in the dictionary for its proper pronunciation?
(a) Involved.
(b) Concerned.
(c) Attracted.
(d) Interested.

3. What does Pnin call World War II?
(a) "Hitler War."
(b) "Satan's War."
(c) "Jewish War."
(d) "German War."

4. What brings Pnin to tears at the end of Chapter 3?
(a) A documentary about life in Russia.
(b) A letter from Liza.
(c) A paper that one of his students wrote.
(d) A documentary about life in Germany.

5. How long does Pnin usually stay at the places he rents?
(a) Half a semester.
(b) Two years.
(c) One year.
(d) No longer than a semester.

6. At the end of chapter 1, what poem does Pnin recall reciting in front of the entire school when he was a child?
(a) Pushkin's poems.
(b) Pasternak's poems.
(c) Mayakovsky's poems.
(d) Brodsky's poems.

7. In Chapter 3, up until this point in his life, what has Pnin always been?
(a) A constant worrier.
(b) A procrastinator.
(c) A failure.
(d) A constant mover.

8. What is the name of the librarian at Pnin's college?
(a) Mrs. Bliss.
(b) Mrs. Wind.
(c) Mrs. Clements.
(d) Mrs. Thayer.

9. How does Pnin's class size compare to other classes in the college?
(a) Large.
(b) Average.
(c) Very large.
(d) Small.

10. What does Pnin recommend Laurence get, telling him he will not regret it?
(a) A hearing aid.
(b) Hair plugs put in.
(c) His teeth pulled and replaced with dentures.
(d) A new suit.

11. At the beginning of Chapter 1, to what town is Pnin headed?
(a) Canton.
(b) Cambridge.
(c) Cremona.
(d) Concord.

12. IIn Chapter 3, where have the Clementses gone to visit someone?
(a) Alabama.
(b) Nevada.
(c) New York.
(d) An anonymous "Western state."

13. What is the name of the woman who introduces Pnin at the seminar?
(a) Janis Clements.
(b) Judith Clyde.
(c) Janelle Cummings.
(d) Jane Corrinth.

14. Mrs. Clements was in the same city as Pnin in 1919, what was she doing there?
(a) Living with her grandparents.
(b) Working as a waitress.
(c) Teaching at a university.
(d) Studying at a university.

15. What is the name of the college where Pnin is a professor?
(a) Washington.
(b) Walden.
(c) Wagner.
(d) Waindell.

Short Answer Questions

1. By what means is Pnin traveling at the beginning of the book?

2. Where did Pnin meet his wife Liza?

3. What does Pnin usually find wrong in the places that he lives?

4. Why did Liza pretend that she wanted to be back with Pnin even though she was carrying Dr. Wind's child?

5. What is Laurence Clements, a fellow professor of Pnin's, most popular course at college?

(see the answer keys)

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