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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. What does Gus Trenor want Lily to do now that he is a successful investor?

2. What is Gus Trenor's reaction when Lily tells him that Mrs. Trenor wants her to marry Percy Gryce?

3. What does Lily tell Simon when he questions her presence at Lawrence's apartment building?

4. When Lily arrives at the Trenor house, what does Gus Trenor first tell Lily about Mrs. Trenor?

5. How does Lily acquire letters found by Mrs. Haffen, Lawrence Selden's cleaning lady?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gerty Farish tell Lawrence Selden about Lily in book 2, chapter 8?

2. In book 2, chapter 11, what does Lily realize about herself based on Simon Rosedale's love for her?

3. In book 1, chapter 8, how does Lily describe Gerty Farish?

4. What does Lawrence Selden realize about his relationship with Lily after he finds she has died?

5. After Bertha has betrays Lily, how does Lawrence Selden feel toward Lily?

6. In book 1, chapter 13, how does Lily feel when Gus Trenor reveals his true intentions toward her?

7. In book 1, chapter 10, why does Lily continue her arrangement with Gus Trenor?

8. In book 1, chapter 7, what does Bertha Dorset do to get back at Lily for spending Sunday afternoon with Lawrence Selden?

9. In book 2, chapter 11, what does Lily decide to do when she wakes up the morning after Simon Rosedale makes his offer to her?

10. Explain the attitudes of Lily's family members in relation to her social standing and inheritance from her aunt.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Answer all parts.

Edith Wharton ends The House of Mirth with a word left unsaid by both Lawrence Selden and Lily.

1) What do you think that word is? Why? Use examples from the story to explain your answer.

2) If Lawrence Selden and Lily had both been able to say the word to each other, would the ending of the story have been different? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Lily had relationships with many characters, both male and female, throughout The House of Mirth. Choose one of Lily's relationships with a male character and one relationship with a female character and explain how each of these relationships changes as the story progresses.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the following statement: The only difference between a falsehood and a truth is whom people choose to believe.

1) Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

2) Give examples from The House of Mirth that prove or disprove this statement.

(see the answer keys)

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