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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. What does Roy want when he calls William?

2. What does William say the English reverence in general?

3. What does Lady Hodmarsh call Amy?

4. What does Ted give William?

5. What becomes genius?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does William initially meet Rosie?

2. What does Ashenden think about Roy as a person?

3. What is fashionable to do when William is a young man?

4. Describe Ted Driffield.

5. How does William act for a while around the Driffields after seeing Rosie with Kemp?

6. What does Lady Hodmarsh say about Amy Driffield?

7. How does Ted know the Kemp family and what does he think of them?

8. What does William express about the concept of beauty?

9. What does William learn from Mary-Ann?

10. What happens when William finds Rosie at tea one evening and then after Rosie walks out the door?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Titles often reveal much about one or more aspects of a novel. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think is the purpose of a title? How closely related to a major theme(s) of a book do you think a title should be? Or should it be?

2. The phrase "Cakes and Ale" appears in both Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Aesop's Fable The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Research these two references and discuss the connection they may have to Maugham's book.

3. If you were the writer of Cake and Ale and your editor says the title must be changed, what would you choose? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Though Somerset Maugham denies it, many literary critics and readers think there is a clear resemblance of Ted Driffield to the real-life Thomas Hardy and Roy Kear to Hugh Walpole. Some even say that the narrator, William Ashenden represents Somerset Maugham. Discuss the following:

1. Research the French phrase roman à clef or roman à clé and discuss how that term is applicable to Cakes and Ale.

2. Research the author Thomas Hardy and compare his life to that of Ted Driffield. How are the similar? How are they different? Are the similarities enough to warrant the belief that Roy Kear represents Walpole?

Does Hardy seem to have a Rosie, Amy, or Isabel in his life? What details about Hardy's life that you uncover seem to be the same as what is written about Driffield?

3. Research the author Hugh Walpole and compare his life to that of Roy Kear. How are the similar? How are they different? In what ways to their personalities seem similar? Are the similarities enough to warrant the belief that Roy Kear represents Walpole?

4. Research the author Somerset Maugham and compare his life to that of William Ashenden. How are they similar? How are they different? In what ways to their personalities seem similar? Are the similarities enough to warrant the belief that William Ashenden represents Maugham?

Essay Topic 3

Three of the prominent characters are writers. They are Ted Driffield, William Ashshenden and Roy Kear. Each one feels differently about his art. Discuss the following:

1. Compare and contrast Ted as an artist to William as an artist. How are they alike? Different? Who seems to be more of a "true" artist? Who seems most sincere in his artistic pursuit? Or are both equally sincere? What do each use as his "muse"? Do you think both would pursue writing regardless of the public's reception? Why or why not?

2. Compare and contrast Ted as an artist to Roy as an artist. How are they alike? Different? Who seems to be more of a "true" artist? Who seems most sincere in his artistic pursuit? Are both equally sincere? What do each use as his "muse?" Do you think both would pursue writing regardless of the public's reception? Why or why not?

3. Compare and contrast William as an artist to Roy as an artist. How are they alike? Different? Who seems to be more of a "true" artist? Who seems most sincere in his artistic pursuit? Or are both equally sincere? What do each use as his "muse?" Do you think both would pursue writing regardless of the public's reception? Why or why not?

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