View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Forster say it is impossible to study about literature?

2. What is the highest common factor to all novels?

3. Through characters, novels give the reader the illusion of _________________.

4. Characters must not spread themselves out too far, but rather should ____________.

5. Who does Forster say is the real hero of The Old Wives' Tale?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What image does Forster ask his audience to think of so as not to consider literature in the "stream of time"?

3. What is one of the reasons that love is "unduly prominent" in novels, according to Forster?

4. What is the tone that Forster notes both in the writing of Laurence Sterne and Virginia Woolf?

5. What are the guidelines William George Clark requests for the lecture series he began at Trinity College?

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

7. What does Forster believe to be the flaws in Sir Walter Scott's writing?

8. What does Forster say is the difference between a novel and a memoir?

9. William George Clark was known as a Shakespearean scholar, but he also published two books on other subjects. What other books does Clark publish?

10. What two things does Forster say daily life is comprised of?

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

Discuss the difference between flat and round characters, as well as the works of literature Forster used to illustrate his points. In his discussion of these types of characters, does Forster make sweeping generalizations that may not apply to all types of characters?

Essay Topic 3

What does Forster think about the motto "History develops, Art stands still"? How does he come back to that in the conclusion of his lecture series?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 722 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample