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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 is the Driffield's furniture like?

2. Who visits Ted and Amy's house while William is there?

3. What is Amy sure that Ted did not know?

4. To what do the Driffields invite William?

5. What does Rosie do after William weeps at his home?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does William describe his visit to his former quarters and his landlady, Mrs. Hudson?

2. What are a couple things William discovers about Rosie?

3. Describe Rosie's home and Rose herself.

4. Describe Amy Driffield.

5. How does Ted meet and marry his second wife and what is Isabel Trafford's reaction?

6. Describe the scene where William is talking to Hillier about painting Rosie.

7. What novel does Ted publish which is a ruthlessly unsentimental tale dealing with a child's death, and what is the public's response to the novel?

8. Describe the motel in which William takes a room when he comes to share memories about Ted with Roy and Amy .

9. What does Rosie do at night while Ted writes?

10. Describe Ted's response to the fact that Rosie leaves him.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Roy never marries because he believes marriage interferes with art and "people do not want to be bothered with the wives of authors and painters." Discuss the following:

1. How do you think having a spouse can detract from one's art?

2. How do you think having a spouse can enhance one's art?

3. When looking at the ways a spouse can either enhance or detract from one's art, which matrimonial state do you think you would choose were you an artist? Why?

4. What other aspects of life can detract and/or enhance one's artistic output?

Essay Topic 2

In chapter 7, William wonders why the adult Driffields bother with a dull, quiet, and pretentious adolescent but they take him sailing and picnicking and William becomes passionate about rubbing brasses and occasionally spends time in the church yard talking with Rosie who treats him like a grown-up. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think William's aunt and uncle have a right to fear the influence of Ted and Rosie? Why or why not?

2. William says he becomes passionate about rubbing brasses, which is a pastime Ted introduces to William. What does this say about William's impressionistic nature? Is William easily influenced as a youth? What about as an adult when conferring with Amy and Roy?

3. Do you think having one or two adults outside the family involved in a young person's life makes a difference for that person? How? Is this a positive thing? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Mrs. Encombe is Blackstable's first liberated New Woman--she wears her hair short and her skirt barely covers the top of her boots. People are intimidated by her intellect and joke nervously about her. Discuss the following:

1. Trace and analyze how women are viewed in Cakes and Ale. Does it seem a woman is either a saint or whore? Is this the view of the author or the culture? Or both?

2. Why do you think Rosie is treated sympathetically in Cakes and Ale by the narrator?

3. How does Ted treat Rosie? Does he respect her? Does he care that she violates social convention?

4. Why is Mrs. Encombe viewed askance? Would she be looked at the same way today?

(see the answer keys)

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