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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. Who is married to the owner of the estate?

2. During a stroll around his property with the captain and Charlotte, what activity does Eduard suddenly change his mind about engaging in, and why?

3. What objects on Eduard's property are exactly the same age as Ottilie?

4. In what activities do Charlotte and Ottilie engage the village girls?

5. How does Eduard resolve to fulfill his growing need to be always around Ottilie?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Charlotte object to Eduard's proposal of bringing the Captain to live at their estate?

3. Summarize the concept of "elective affinities," and describe how the Captain, Eduard, and Charlotte formulate their discussion of this concept.

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

5. Who is Herr Mittler, and what do Charlotte and Eduard ask for his help with?

6. In Part I, Chapter 6, what activity becomes the clear marker of the shifting compatibilities of the four protagonists?

7. What confusion does Eduard experience, after conducting the Count to a midnight visit with the Baroness?

8. Summarize the event which results in Eduard finding himself attracted to Ottilie.

9. What event leads to a sexually charged encounter between Charlotte and the Captain, and how does Charlotte react to it?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Luciane's character. What is her relation to Charlotte and Ottilie? How does Luciane's character compare specifically to Ottilie's character? What words or phrases best describe Luciane? What is notable about her interactions with others, and how do other characters feel about her and her presence at the estate? Does the narrator, through his use of tone or word choice, present Luciane in any particular manner? How does her characterization address the theme of self-contradiction in the novel? How does her character address the theme of public life versus private life in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Choose three symbolic objects, characters, places, or events in the novel and discuss their significance to the plot, character development, thematic evolution, and the narrative as a whole. Some examples of symbolism include: Ottilie's miniature portrait of her father; the crystal goblet engraved with "EO;" the moss hut and pavilion; the various celebrations for characters' birthdays; Eduard's decision to rejoin the military; the events at Otto's baptism; Ottilie's Moroccan chest; the fireworks at the lake; the relationship between the Count and the Baroness; the contract; the restoration of the chapel; Otto's death; Charlotte's changes to the burial grounds in the churchyard; and so on. What do your selected symbols mean for the characters in the novel and do they differ from how you the reader interpret them in your analysis of the narrative as a whole?

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