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. What shape does Proteus take to transport the homunculus into the ocean on his back?

2. Where does Faust meet Mephistopheles in Scene 5 of Act I?

3. What must Faust descend through to read the location given by the prophetess in Act II?

4. Who does the Emperor ask to see in the beginning of Scene 2 of Act I?

5. What is the opinion of the women of the court of Paris?

Short Essay Questions

1. What advice does Mephistopheles give to the young page who is having trouble attracting women in Act I?

2. How does Mephistopheles become the new fool to the emperor?

3. What does the Chancellor say about the judge "who cannot punish crime" in Scene 2?

4. In the philosophical debate featured in Scene 3 of Act II, what does Anaxagoras believe is the origin and basis of nature and matter?

5. What is symbolic about Faust's unconsciousness in the beginning of Act II?

6. Why is Mephistopheles upset that Faust tells the emperor he can conjure the spirits of Helen and Paris?

7. Describe the pleasing landscape that Faust finds himself in at the beginning of this work (Act I).

8. Why is Faust seeking Helen in Act II?

9. When Mephistopheles pays off the debts of the emperor with notes what is the response of the court?

10. Why does the homunculus take on the form of water at the end of Act II?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the dramatic structure of Faust Part II. Use textual evidence to designate the expository, rising action, the climax, falling action and denouement in this literary work.

Essay Topic 2

One theme that is accentuated by Goethe throughout Faust, but particularly in the masquerade carnival of Act I, is that of the establishment of social classes and the stereotypes that exist within them. Discuss at least three instances where this theme is displayed and comment on what societal commentary Goethe may be making by using this theme.

Essay Topic 3

What relationship between the classical and the modern does Goethe portray when he shifts from utilizing formal elements of Greek tragedy in his writing style of Act 2 and 3 and then utilizes more modern literary devices to describe the battle in Act 4. Using specific textual evidence discuss how Goethe draws attention to the juxtaposition of these two literary traditions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 782 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample