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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. Why does Sir James Chettam come to the dinner party at Tipton Grange?

2. What endeavor is the banker sponsoring?

3. The setting of Chapter 19 is where?

4. Whom does Mr. Lydgate admire?

5. The men on the board of the hospital meet to vote on the new chaplain. The vote is a tie between which characters?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Fred and Peter Stonehouse fight about?

2. What is the purpose of Dorothea's first visit to Lowick? What happens there?

3. What happens to Fred Vincy in Chapter 23?

4. What do Featherstone's two wills state?

5. Summarize Lydgate's background.

6. What do Dorothea and Will talk about during Will's visit?

7. Why is Dorothea saddened while on her honeymoon?

8. What reasons does Ladislaw give Naumann for being tired of art lessons?

9. What does Rosamond admire about Lydgate?

10. Why does the author choose to write this novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Imagine if the characters of "Middlemarch" lived today. Choose one character. How would their life be different? What place in society would they occupy? Do you think their story would have ended differently? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

One of the turning points in the novel is when Rosamond loses her baby. Lydgate blames the riding accident but she believes it would have happened anyway. What statement is the author making in regard to Rosamond's rebellion against her husband? Do you think Rosamond really believes that the miscarriage would have happened without the accident, or is she simply trying to assuage her guilt? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the political system in Middlemarch, and compare it with the politics of a small town today. What changes have been made, and why do you think they occurred? Are there any similarities? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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