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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 are Denise's brothers?

2. What does Mouret say about Denise's termination?

3. What do the salespeople do at the end of the day?

4. The silk department employees wish that ____________ would not come back from holiday.

5. What is the name of Uncle Baudu's store?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Mouret and why is Uncle Baudu so angry at him?

2. How does Denise indirectly change the work lives of the store employees?

3. Who are some of the women at Madame Desforges' tea and what is revealed about their shopping habits?

4. Describe the initial contacts between Denise and Mouret.

5. What is the imagery introduced in Chapter 2 regarding the big department store?

6. How does Madame Desforges treat Denise when she realizes that Mouret is interested in Denise?

7. What is Denise's demeanor during this difficult time at the store?

8. Describe some of the conflict going on in departments of the store.

9. How does the store bring out the worst in the store's customers?

10. What is the main theme in Chapter 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There is a lot of symbolism in this story regarding the expansion of Au Bonheur des Dames. What does the growth of the store symbolize for those who work there? For the neighborhood shop owners? For the retail industry in general? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Denise. What does she look like? What are her positive personality traits? What are some of her negative characteristics? What are her hopes and fears? What motivates her at this point in his life?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of women in the early 1800s when this novel was written. What precedents do they feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have?

(see the answer keys)

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