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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 William sense about Ted's affect?

2. Where do William and Rosie often go?

3. What is the Bear and Key where William stays like?

4. What does William learn from Newton one day?

5. What do William and Rosie do for the next year or more?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who are a couple other regulars at the Driffields' parties?

3. What does William say about Rosie's affairs and what are Amy and Roy's response?

4. What does William think about the House of Lords and how he would assign rank within literature?

5. Describe Rosie's home and Rose herself.

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

7. What is said about Rosie as William, Amy and Roy look at photographs?

8. Describe Amy Driffield.

9. Describe how William encounters Rosie in New York?

10. When William visits her in Yonkers, what does Rosie reveal about her marriage to Ted and a child they had?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Cakes and Ale is perhaps more of a character-driven plot rather than action-driven. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character-driven or action-driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character-driven versus action-driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

Essay Topic 3

William Ashenden is the narrator of the novel, which Maugham chooses to write the novel from the first-person point of view. Discuss the following:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this novel being written in the first person?

2. Do you think the novel would be more effective in a different point of view? Which one if so? Why not if you think the first person works the best?

3. If the narrator is actually the author, much of what is written are real events witnessed by the author. Then does the first person make sense from that perspective? What if the book was truly fiction with no ties to "real" people, does the first-person point of view still seem like the best choice? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

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