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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 Bathsheba send away to the lower mead so that she can speak to Gabriel alone in Chapter 20?

2. The narrator describes Bathsheba in Chapter 19 as "An Elizabethan in brain and" whom in spirit?

3. How much money does Gabriel give to the woman he encounters on his way into Weatherbury in Chapter 7?

4. For what reason does Bathsheba come to Gabriel's farm each day in Chapters 3 and 4?

5. About how old is Mr. Boldwood, according to Mrs. Coggan in Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Bathsheba fire Gabriel Oak from his position on the farm in Chapter 20?

2. How does Bathsheba respond when Gabriel Oak proposes to her in Chapter 4?

3. Why has Bathsheba fired her bailiff in Chapter 10? Why is this a significant act?

4. What sexual innuendos can be seen in Chapter 28?

5. What leads Mr. Boldwood to follow Gabriel Oak in Chapter 14?

6. Why does Bathsheba leave Norcombe in Chapter 5? Where does she go?

7. What is “Warren’s Malthouse”? Whom does Gabriel meet here in Chapter 8?

8. Why does Bathsheba send a Valentine’s Day card to Mr. Boldwood in Chapter 13? What does the card say?

9. How does the narrator compare Sergeant Troy’s behavior toward men versus his behavior toward women in Chapter 25?

10. What is Henery Fray’s opinion on Bathsheba’s courtship by Mr. Boldwood in Chapter 22?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of catastrophe, chance, and fate in Far from the Madding Crowd. How are these themes developed through character, setting, and imagery? What symbols relate to these themes? How do the themes overlap?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the plot structure of Far from the Madding Crowd. Are there subplots in the novel? Where in the narrative does the exposition transition to rising action? Where is the climax of the narrative? What issues are resolved in the denouement?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes of loyalty and friendship in Far from the Madding Crowd. Which characters in the novel prove themselves loyal? How? What does friendship come to mean to the main characters?

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