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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part I: Letters 1 through 15.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Laclos favor over the well-trained mind?
(a) A stout constitution.
(b) A high social station.
(c) A feeling heart.
(d) A sense of humor.

2. To whom does the Marquise de Merteuil confide her plots?
(a) Madame de Tourvel.
(b) Danceny.
(c) Valmont.
(d) Madame de Volanges.

3. How did French society view Laclos after the publication of _Les Liaisons Dangereuses_?
(a) As a "mystery."
(b) As a "genius."
(c) As a "saint."
(d) As a "monster."

4. How was __Les Liaisons Dangereuses_ treated after the turn of the 20th century?
(a) Readers and critics ignored its existence until ten years ago.
(b) Readers and critics extolled it as the single best novel of the Western hemisphere.
(c) Readers and critics reaffirmed the initial 18th-century response.
(d) Readers and critics were more likely to praise and study it.

5. In letter 15, what does Valmont call Merteuil about her attentions to her current lover?
(a) He calls her gentle and caring.
(b) He calls her an attention seeker.
(c) He calls her a slave to another's pleasure.
(d) He calls her selfish and callous.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Laclos' contemporary critics feel his novel would impact society?

2. Who is the author of the Editor's Preface?

3. With which philosophical movement of the 18th century is Laclos associated?

4. Where is Madame de Tourvel staying while her husband is away?

5. Which place in the social hierarchy did Laclos' family occupy?

(see the answer key)

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