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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. Whom does the master of the estate propose come to live with himself and his wife?

2. What service does Ottilie volunteer to do for Eduard?

3. What gift does Ottilie find from Eduard when she returns to her room after the celebration?

4. How do Eduard and Ottilie unexpectedly prove their compatibility with one another?

5. What event does the captain suggest must be celebrated in a special manner?

Short Essay Questions

1. What sudden action does Eduard take after the Captain leaves the household?

2. Describe Eduard's and the Captain's interactions with members of the lower social classes.

3. What counteroffer does Charlotte make to Eduard's proposal of the Captain's visit?

4. Where on the estate do the four protagonists increase their work, and for what coming occasion?

5. How do the four protagonists' relationships change after Eduard evinces a passion for Ottilie?

6. Summarize the letters from the headmistress and the schoolmaster.

7. For what reason does the foursome decide to build a pavilion?

8. What does Eduard decide to do to further his relationship with Ottilie, and how does this attempt end up?

9. What does the Baroness discover about Eduard, and how does she react to it?

10. Briefly summarize the story behind Eduard and Charlotte's marriage.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Eduard and the Captain (later the Major). What is the relationship between the two men and does this relationship change over the course of the novel? How are their characters similar, and how do they differ? What informs each man's thoughts, feelings, and decisions? How does each man react to his own desires, and to adversity? Does the narrator describe each man and his respective feelings, thoughts, and actions in any particular way that offers insights or critiques into his character?

Essay Topic 2

Examine Ottilie's character as it evolves over the entire course of the novel. What is Ottilie like in the beginning of the book, in the middle, and by the end? How does she express her thoughts and feelings? What sort of language does she use, and how does the narrator describe her directly and indirectly? What notable actions does Ottilie take through the course of the novel, and what motivates these actions? How are your perceptions of her shaped by Ottilie herself, by other characters, and by the narrator?

Essay Topic 3

Choose two minor characters and discuss their significance to the main plot elements in which they appear, and how their presence, actions, or influence contribute to the thematic development of the novel as a whole. What are these minor characters' relationships with the four main characters, what social class do they occupy, and what of their personality traits seem important to you in describing their influence? How do the minor characters interact with and affect the main characters of the novel? What specific role do they have in the plot episode in which they appear? Do you think these characters or their presence in the novel symbolize anything? Suggestions for minor characters include: Herr Mittler, the architect, Luciane, Nanni, the Count, the Baroness, the schoolmaster, and the Englishman.

(see the answer keys)

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