View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the wake of the tragedy, what is Charlotte and Ottilie's relationship with each other like?

2. How does Ottilie die?

3. Upon what, to Ottilie, does her future rest?

4. What is the architect reluctant to show publicly?

5. What is the house guest's suggested remedy for children who do not follow in their parents' footsteps?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the general substance of Ottilie's first journal entry, at the end of Part II, Chapter 2?

2. What event at the end of Part II, Chapter 8, is saturated with both happiness and grave foreboding, and how?

3. Briefly summarize the story the foreign visitor tells to Charlotte and Ottilie.

4. What plans does the architect have for the church?

5. Where does Eduard go to meet Ottilie, and what are the circumstances of their meeting?

6. What is the first faux pas the foreign visitor commits, and why is it a social flub?

7. Describe the circumstances of Ottilie's death.

8. Which of Luciane's experiments in "moral regeneration" goes wrong, which Charlotte hears about after Luciane leaves the estate?

9. What are Charlotte's views of memorials?

10. How does Charlotte discover Eduard has rejoined the military, and how does she respond to this news?

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

Discuss the themes of sin and repentance in the novel. What kinds of "sins" are displayed throughout the novel, and what acts (if any) of "repentance" are connected to those sins? In which ways do the various characters attempt to repent, and what are they repenting for? Do any characters exemplify the theme of repentance more or less than others? If so, what is the significance of this difference in the various characters' perspectives of repentance? What are the religious and/or moral significance or connotations of repentance?

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,352 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample