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. As a teacher, how would Pnin be described?

2. Why was Pnin's office recently relocated?

3. Whom does Pnin ask for the first time he calls to rent a room in Chapter 2?

4. What is the name of the college where Pnin is a professor?

5. What professor does Pnin decide to track down in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why has the daughter of Laurence and Joan Clements left home, and what do they now have available?

2. Why is Pnin so horrified at the possibility of losing his suitcase in Chapter 1?

3. What happens to Pnin at the bus station that has been happening since he was a child?

4. How does Pnin act when he is drinking? Describe in detail.

5. What does Pnin almost encounter when he comes down the stairs during the Clementses' party in Chapter 2?

6. Where is Pnin a professor at in Chapter 1?

7. What poem does Pnin discuss with his class in Chapter 3?

8. What procedure does Pnin have done in Chapter 2 that leaves him very pleased?

9. What does Pnin discover from the librarian that is surprising to him in Chapter 3?

10. What happens when Pnin tries to get his suitcase back from the man at the station in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the prevailing themes in "Pnin" is the life of an immigrant. Explore the theme of Pnin's life as an immigrant and the prejudices that he encounters.

Part 1) What does being an immigrant mean?

Part 2) What are some examples of prejudices in the novel?

Part 3) Is Pnin aware of the prejudices he encounters?

Essay Topic 2

Description is the fiction-writing mode for creating a mental image of a story. Examine the use of description in "Pnin". How does the author use narration, dialogue, and imagery to bring his novel to life? What is the best example of the use of description from the novel "Pnin"?

Essay Topic 3

The author of "Pnin" emphasizes a certain amount of dullness in the academic life. Examine the premise of dullness of academic life in the novel "Pnin". Does this dull feeling fit Pnin's personality and character? Are the other professors at the college depicted as dull? What do the students do that is the same every year? How are the butterflies depicted? Why does this particularly year have a dark undertone?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 881 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample