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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 Merteuil assert that Madame de Tourvel is doing to Valmont?

2. Valmont asserts that a girl who has no respect for her mother will what?

3. Why is Merteuil's maid trustworthy?

4. How does Cécile respond to Merteuil's advice about her relationship with Valmont?

5. What does Valmont order Merteuil to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize the content of the "letter" that Merteuil dictates to Valmont about his apparent love of Madame de Tourvel.

2. How does Valmont thwart Merteuil with regards to Danceny?

3. Summarize Bertrand's letters to Madame de Rosemonde.

4. How does Valmont manipulate Cécile and Danceny's relationship?

5. Describe what Valmont does when he gets the key to Cécile's room.

6. What is Madame de Rosemonde's advice to Madame de Tourvel regarding her feelings for Valmont?

7. What is Merteuil's next plan for seduction? How does Valmont react?

8. What is the content and tone of Danceny's letters to Merteuil?

9. What arguments does Valmont use to convince Madame de Tourvel to see him?

10. What news of Valmont does Madame de Rosemonde give Madame de Tourvel, and how does Madame de Tourvel react?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are Merteuil and Valmont's "ethics" of seduction? How do they plan their seductions? What motivates them to seduce and ruin others? What rules of letter writing, evidence gathering, and record-keeping do they have for themselves and for others? Do you see any ironic or hypocritical behavior in Valmont or Merteuil? Why do they constantly write to each other of their own plans, offer their criticisms or praises of each others plans, tell stories of seductions past, and warn each other of potential dangers?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the aspect of Valmont's character that has to do with his feelings for Madame de Tourvel and his feelings for Merteuil. What does he profess to feel for them both, and what does it seem that he actually feels? How does he use language and tone to express these feelings to them and about them? What do his actions around each woman, or having to do with each woman, say about his real feelings for them? Discuss this aspect of Valmont's character as a function of the tension between public and private morality and persona.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role that religion, church, and the clergy have in the novel. How does each character treat, refer to, or interact with religion, faith and morality? Explain the reasoning behind the following categorizations of the main characters, based upon the characters' views on, or influence from, religion: Merteuil and Valmont; Madames de Rosemonde, de Volanges, and de Tourvel; Cécile and Danceny.

(see the answer keys)

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