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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 becomes genius?
2. What nationality does Ashenden's aunt have?
3. How does Ted Driffield act the last time William saw him?
4. What does Amy have to force Ted to do?
5. What appears in all anthologies?
Short Essay Questions
1. Who comes to see William off to the new school term and how does William act?
2. Why does Roy want William's assistance in writing Ted's biograph and what is Roy's purpose in doing so?
3. Describe William Ashenden.
4. Describe Ted Driffield.
5. Describe Quinten Forde.
6. What does William express about the concept of beauty?
7. Why does the Vicar not want to discuss Rosie and Ted?
8. What does Amy Driffield ask of William?
9. Describe Roy Kear.
10. What happens when William finds Rosie at tea one evening and then after Rosie walks out the door?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss the following:
1. What is a plot? What are the most important elements of a plot and their definition? Do all novels have a plot? Why or why not?
2. Write a brief synopsis of the plot of Cakes and Ale, identifying where the various elements of the plot occur. Did you find it difficult to identify the plot? Why or why not? What about the various elements of the plot?
3. Thoroughly analyze how the setting informs the plot in Cakes and Ale. How do you think Cakes and Ale be different if this were about the life of working class people rather than artists?
Essay Topic 2
Though Somerset Maugham denies it, many literary critics and readers think there is a clear resemblance of Ted Driffield to the real-life Thomas Hardy and Roy Kear to Hugh Walpole. Some even say that the narrator, William Ashenden represents Somerset Maugham. Discuss the following:
1. Research the French phrase roman à clef or roman à clé and discuss how that term is applicable to Cakes and Ale.
2. Research the author Thomas Hardy and compare his life to that of Ted Driffield. How are the similar? How are they different? Are the similarities enough to warrant the belief that Roy Kear represents Walpole?
Does Hardy seem to have a Rosie, Amy, or Isabel in his life? What details about Hardy's life that you uncover seem to be the same as what is written about Driffield?
3. Research the author Hugh Walpole and compare his life to that of Roy Kear. How are the similar? How are they different? In what ways to their personalities seem similar? Are the similarities enough to warrant the belief that Roy Kear represents Walpole?
4. Research the author Somerset Maugham and compare his life to that of William Ashenden. How are they similar? How are they different? In what ways to their personalities seem similar? Are the similarities enough to warrant the belief that William Ashenden represents Maugham?
Essay Topic 3
Titles often reveal much about one or more aspects of a novel. Discuss the following:
1. What do you think is the purpose of a title? How closely related to a major theme(s) of a book do you think a title should be? Or should it be?
2. The phrase "Cakes and Ale" appears in both Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Aesop's Fable The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Research these two references and discuss the connection they may have to Maugham's book.
3. If you were the writer of Cake and Ale and your editor says the title must be changed, what would you choose? Why?
This section contains 1,769 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |