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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. Where does Lovelace offer to take Clarissa to get her away from her family?

2. Which of the following is one of the things Lovelace wrote in a forged letter, which is made to look like it was written by Miss Howe?

3. What makes Lord M a bad choice for someone to give Clarissa away at the wedding?

4. Whose house is Clarissa staying in while in London?

5. When Miss Howe says she is going to write to Clarissa even though her mother does not allow her to, what does Clarissa tell her?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Belford disagrees with Lovelace's determination to seduce Clarissa?

2. What do you think of Lovelace's repentance at this point? Does it seem real or not?

3. It seems almost impossible for Clarissa to escape Lovelace. What factors combine to make it so hard for Clarissa to escape?

4. Why do you think Richardson decided to include Belton's death scene in the novel? What purpose does this scene serve?

5. Does Clarissa's behavior with her coffin reinforce the earlier development of her character? Why or why not?

6. In letters 22-30, Clarissa is given three suggestions for getting away from her family. Lovelace offers to take her away twice, and Miss Howe tells her that she should move into her grandfather's estate, which is legally hers. Do you think Clarissa should have taken one of these choices? Why or why not, and if so, which one?

7. In letter 31, we see one of Lovelace's own letters for the first time. Does he seem different than you expected, or about the same? Why and how?

8. After Clarissa's return to the Widow Sinclair's house, do you think that she is right to be more pessimistic about the final outcome of her relationship with Lovelace?

9. Is Lovelace's behavior after Clarissa's death what you expected? Why or why not?

10. Is Miss Howe a good friend to Clarissa? Why or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Belford and Lovelace. Both of them are strongly effected by their relationship with Clarissa. Compare and contrast their responses to her.

Essay Topic 2

The theme of will power is important in "Clarissa." Discuss the role of will power in relationship to (a) Clarissa, (b) Lovelace, and (c) any one of the other characters. Be sure to describe what kinds of goals each of these characters wants to achieve and how they demonstrate (or do not demonstrate) the ability to achieve their will.

Essay Topic 3

Foreshadowing is used frequently in Clarissa. Give at least two examples of foreshadowing of events that later occur. How does foreshadowing affect the reader's response to the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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