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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. Jane Seymour's father has what first name?

2. What position does Stephen Gardiner currently hold, even though he has been banished to the countryside?

3. When the novel opens, the narrator states that "England has enjoyed" how many years "of peace" (5)?

4. Cromwell hears that Henry has been seen walking with Jane in what location?

5. Henry and Anne had their first sexual encounter in the autumn of which year?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does the epigraph of Bring Up the Bodies strike an ironic tone?

2. For what purpose does Henry send Cromwell to meet with Katherine of Aragon and what request does she make of Cromwell?

3. What is the significance of "Late autumn" in "the year 1532," (20) according to the narrator?

4. What evidence does the narrator provide for the conclusion that Henry has aged a great deal in the past five years?

5. In what way does Mantel use Cromwell's character to discuss class differences in Chapter 2: Crows?

6. What examples does Cromwell provide to support his assertion that no one's fate is ever set in stone?

7. What does Cromwell mean when he states that Henry has been "a life-long student of inventive ways to die" (25)?

8. What evidence does Cromwell cite when he states that Henry has fallen for Jane?

9. What is Cromwell's plan for gathering the funds needed to fill Henry's coffers?

10. What is the significance of Henry's request that Jane become his "good mistress" (97)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of Bring Up the Bodies and analyze Mantel’s purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of Bring Up the Bodies and one of the novel's main messages. How does Mantel make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Sensory details are used frequently by Mantel in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative of Bring Up the Bodies. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used serve Mantel’s creation of vivid characters (many of whom are based on real people) to populate the narrative.

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