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

Short Answer Questions

1. When Lily sits in the park to rest, what is she thinking about her sleep medication?

2. At lunch in Monte Carlo, how does Lawrence Selden feel after his discussion about Lily with Carry Fischer ?

3. How does Lily respond to what Simon Rosedale suggests she do with the letters she purchased from Lawrence Selden's cleaning woman?

4. What does Lily receive when she returns home after leaving Nettie Struther?

5. When Lily finds Simon Rosedale waiting for her at her room in book 2, chapter 11, what does he offer Lily?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Answer all parts.

In The House of Mirth, we learn a great deal about Lily Bart.

1) List four adjectives that describe Lily's personality. Include an example from the story to explain each adjective.

2) What is a value or belief Lily has?

3) How does she act on this value or belief?

4) How does Lily change as the book progresses?

5) What causes Lily to change?

Essay Topic 2

Explain one of the following themes as it is developed in The House of Mirth. Use examples from the story to explain your answer.

1) Lily's use of beauty as wealth and to gain wealth.

2) Lily's inability to judge what is appropriate and what is not in her relationships with men.

Essay Topic 3

At the end of The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton leaves the cause of Lily's death, accidental overdose, or suicide, unresolved in the reader's mind. Which cause of death do you believe the author was hinting at? Why? What clues does the author give that shows she is hinting at the answer to Lily's death?

(see the answer keys)

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