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

Short Answer Questions

1. What happens to Stavrogin as the novel concludes?

2. What effect does the birth of Shatov's child have on him?

3. Who is attacked after the murder of Shatov?

4. Who chases after Lisa when she leaves Stavrogin's house?

5. How many people are in Peter Verkhovensky's secret group of radicals?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How are women depicted in The Possessed? Are they mere symbols of sexual attributes like desirability and innocence and seduction, or are they individuals with complex feelings and thoughts? How are they distinguished from the male characters, or are they treated as similarly-independent, self-reliant souls?

Essay Topic 2

Peter Verkhovensky exploits the blindness, weakness and gullibility of many characters as he works his wiles. Does the action of the book change any of those characters so that they are immune from Peter's machinations? Asked another way--is The Possessed a moral book that teaches a lesson, or a cynical book that teaches that there are no lessons, only different actors with different motivations?

Essay Topic 3

What role does innocence play in The Possessed? Is it always sacrificed, as Mary Lebyatkin and Shatov are? Does it endure anywhere, in spite of Mary and Shatov's murders?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 259 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample