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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. Whose house does Myshkin go to when he first arrives back in St. Petersburg?

2. When the Yephachin women ask what Myshkin thinks of them, who does he avoid commenting on?

3. Who gives Aglaya a letter from Myshkin?

4. What does Rogozhin do after attempting to kill Myshkin?

5. Does Nastassya accept Myshkin's proposal?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Myshkin respond when Adelaide asks him about falling in love?

2. What does Ferdyshchenko do with his ill-gotten gains?

3. What does Yephanchin say that he did to make up for his guilty feelings?

4. What does Ferdyshchenko describe doing to make sure someone else is blamed for his own theft?

5. How does Madam Yephanchin react to Myshkin going off to collect his inheritance?

6. What does Nastassya ask Myshkin, after hearing the stories of the men at the party?

7. How does Aglaya react to Ganja's letter?

8. How does the footman treat Prince Myshkin when he first arrives at the Yephanchins' house?

9. How did Rogozhin become estranged from his father?

10. What wrongs does Ganja accuse Myshkin of during this section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the expectations that characters put on others in the novel.

1) What do the members of society expect Myshkin to be like? How do they treat Myshkin when he does not meet their expectations?

2) What do the characters expect of their friends and family members in the novel? What do Aglyana's parents expect of her, and how do their expectations shape her behavior? What does Nastassya's guardian expect from her, and how do his expectations shape her behavior?

3) What does Myshkin expect from others in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Nastassya and Aglyana are the two main female characters in the novel. Compare these two characters.

1) In what ways does Nastassya parallel Rogozhin in the novel? In what ways does Aglyana parallel Myshkin? How are the relationships between the two major male characters and the two major female characters similar and different?

2) Compare Nastassya and Aglyana. How are their home lives and upbringing similar and different? How are they perceived by others? How do others affect their actions?

3) Compare the eventual fates of Nastassya and Aglyana. Why is Aglyana the only major character to go on and live a normal life after the climax of the novel? What does this say about Aglyana's emotions and character?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, characters communicate private messages through letters. Discuss the role of letters in the novel.

1) Why do characters use letters to communicate? What types of messages do the characters communicate through letters?

2) How do the intentions of letter-writers and the meanings interpreted by readers differ? Why? What does this say about communication in the novel?

3) How do letters being read by unintended audiences or not delivered affect the course of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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