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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 does Pnin lose while he looks up the proper pronunciation of a word in the dictionary?

2. What does Pnin have because the man will not give him his bag back in Chapter 1?

3. Why was Pnin made to sit in his bed for weeks with nothing to do when he was a child?

4. What does Pnin ask the librarian in Chapter 3?

5. What does Pnin begin reading in his favorite spot after he talks to the librarian?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Liza use Pnin to get to America?

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

3. What subject does Pnin have no desire to teach?

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

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

6. Describe Pnin's fellow professor, Oleg Komarov.

7. What other people occupy Pnin's coach on the train in Chapter 1?

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

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

10. What does the library request of Pnin in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story of Pnin can be enhanced by learning about the author of the book. Research the author Vladimir Nabokov, comparing him to the character of Professor Timofey Pnin. How are Pnin and Nabokov similar? How are Pnin and Nabokov different? Why would Nabokov write a book that clearly is very related to his own life? How is "Pnin" an indicator of Nabokov's life as an immigrant?

Essay Topic 2

Pnin tells many stories throughout the action of the main story. Explore the author's use of the literary device story-within-a-story in the novel "Pnin".

Part 1) Is the author using stories-within-a-story to parody views of the world?

Part 2) Is the author using stories-within-a-story to give background about particular characters or events?

Part 3) How is this literary device effective in the novel "Pnin"?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the character of Liza and her overall affect on Pnin's life. What kind of person is Liza? Did she truly ever love Pnin or was she always using him? Why can't Pnin see Liza for what she truly is? How does Pnin behave when he is around Liza? Is Liza a good influence on Pnin?

(see the answer keys)

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