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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. How much money does Jean Valjean offer Fauchelevent to let him and Cosette spend the night at his lodgings in Book V of Part II – Cosette?

2. Who is Cosette’s mother in the novel?

3. What are the names of the Thénardiers’ two daughters whom they spoil?

4. Jean Valjean tells the landlady at the Gorbeau House that Cosette is what in Book II of Part II – Cosette?

5. What is the first thing that Fantine sells in order to make money when she becomes desperate after losing her job at the factory?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the significance of the Battle of Waterloo for the French, according to the narrator in Book I of Part II – Cosette?

2. Who does Jean Valjean meet in the garden in Book V of Part II – Cosette? Where has he met this character before?

3. How is the history of Petit-Picpus described in Book VI of Part II – Cosette?

4. What does the author comment on regarding monasticism in Book VII of Part II – Cosette?

5. In whose care does Fantine leave Cosette in Part I – Fantine? How is Cosette treated by these characters?

6. What does Bishop Myriel tell Jean Valjean about his suffering in Part I – Fantine?

7. What internal conflict does Jean Valjean face in Book VI of Part I – Fantine? How does he resolve the conflict?

8. What tips Javert off to Jean Valjean’s trail in Book IV of Part II – Cosette?

9. How old is Cosette when she is reintroduced in Book III of Part II – Cosette? How is her living situation described?

10. How is Fantine’s position in society described when she is introduced in Part I – Fantine?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the author’s use of a third-person omniscient narrator in Les Miserables. Why do you think the narrator chose this perspective? What are the advantages of this narrative style? What are the disadvantages?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables. How old is Marius when he is introduced in the novel? Who raised Marius? What are his feelings about his father?

Essay Topic 3

Human Rights in Les Miserables

a. Discuss the ways that the author examines the treatment of the poor in Les Miserables. What kind of change does Victor Hugo call for in regards to the treatment of the poor?

b. How is the theme of human rights symbolized in Les Miserables? What characters in the story reflect this theme the most? How?

(see the answer keys)

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