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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. Using bread for their ante, prisoners bet on

2. When Inspector Bruce appears, Paul thinks he is there to discuss

3. Ironically, the women are being escorted to Rio by

4. Unexpectedly, Grimes shows up in disguise, having

5. Paul is ordered by Secretary Maltravers to undergo

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss Professor Silenus' role in the renovation of King's Thursday. What does he set out to accomplish?

2. How is it that Prendergast is now a chaplain at the prison where Paul is incarcerated?

3. How does the judge see Paul's involvement in the crime for which he is convicted?

4. Why is it not surprising that Paul and Margot run into Philbrick at the upscale restaurant where they are having lunch?

5. When Margot announces her upcoming marriage to Maltravers, what is Paul's reaction?

6. What is about Margot that is so attractive to Peter? What personal motivation of Margot's does she make very clear to the men around her?

7. The author gives us a clear glimpse of Pennyfeather's future at the end of this chapter. Discuss this seemingly awkwardly-placed revelation.

8. On whom can we blame the death of Prendergast?

9. What is Paul's response to the mysterious diagnosis, the trip to the hospital and his freedom?

10. Sir Wilfred Lucas-Dockery represents a certain type of character in Waugh's coterie of nuts. Describe him.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay on the history of the Ritz Hotel in London, where Paul Pennyfeather stayed as his wedding was under preparation. Include information on the founders, the accommodations, the changes the hotel has undergone if it still exists, and the services and accommodations they offer.

Essay Topic 2

Write a biography of Evelyn Waugh. Did he become famous for his writing while he was alive? Did he become wealthy from his work, or was he an unknown until later? Where was he born and educated, and where did he live his adult life? What characteristics about Waugh led him to have the social insights he seems to possess?

Essay Topic 3

The story offers many ideas, words and concepts that are obsolete. Leaf through the book and find at least three of these references that are strange or unfamiliar to you. Research each and write a 3-part essay on what you find. Remember that, in addition to being written in England, the book was written around eighty years ago.

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