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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. Who is the Antiquary in Scott's novel?

2. According to Forster, the story is the ___________ of a voice in the novel.

3. In the introductory section, Forster quotes from whom to describe the duties of the critic?

4. Forster surmises that the character Moll was born out the author's experience in _____________.

5. What does Scott accomplish in the first sentence of The Antiquary?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is striking about the funerals described in the excerpts by H.G. Wells and Charles Dickens?

2. What does Forster demonstrate with the first sentence of The Antiquary by Sir Walter Scott?

3. Why does Forster illustrate through the novel Moll Flanders?

4. What is Forster trying to illustrate through the work of Gertrude Stein?

5. What does Forster consider to be the strangest of the five basic elements of life?

6. What is the difference between an Austen character and a Dickens character?

7. According to Forster, what does a good novel do?

8. Why, in Forster's opinion, is Sir Walter Scott a popular novelist?

9. How does Forster define the novel in its most basic terms?

10. What commonality does Forster see between the writings of Henry James and Samuel Richardson?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Forster contend is the important difference between real people and people in novels? Why is this an important distinction? Using research on Forster himself, what is the irony of his discussion of the importance of real people keeping their secrets?

Essay Topic 2

What is the distinction Forster makes between prophecy and preaching? Why is this an important distinction to the overall quality of a novel?

Essay Topic 3

How is Forster's exploration of the aspects of fantasy and prophecy at the core of his overall philosophy on the novel? What is the fine line between these two aspects?

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