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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. Where did the Canut revolt take place in December of 1831?

2. The nickname that Marius assigns to Cosette before learning her name means what?

3. Cosette spends her time in Book III of Part IV – Saint Denis longing for the young man from where?

4. Where does Marius live in Book VIII of Part III – Marius?

5. What is the title of Book VI of Part IV – Saint Denis?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the outbreak of the June Rebellion described in Book X of Part IV – Saint Denis?

2. What historical event is described in Book I of Part IV – Saint Denis? What consequences of this event does the narrator point out?

3. What are Marius’s impressions of Cosette when he first sees her in Book VI of Part III – Marius?

4. Why does Marius go to see his father in Book III of Part III – Marius? What does he find at his father’s home?

5. What internal conflict does Marius face in Book VIII of Part III – Marius? How is the conflict resolved?

6. What is the “Patron-Minette” and who comprises this group?

7. What information does Eponine leak to Marius about Cosette in Book II of Part IV – Saint Denis?

8. How is Marius led to Cosette’s whereabouts in Book VIII of Part III – Marius?

9. What exchange takes place between Marius and Monsieur Gillenormand in Book VIII of Part IV – Saint Denis?

10. How is the setting of “The House on Rue Plumet” described in Book III of Part IV – Saint Denis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Jean Valjean’s supposed drowning in Book II of Part II – Cosette. How is Jean Valjean’s valor demonstrated in this section of the novel? What indications does the author give that the reader will meet Jean Valjean in the coming chapters?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the following four characters from Book I – Fantine: Tholomyès, Listolier, Fameuil, and Blacheville. What is each character’s relationship to the others? How would you describe their financial situations? What are the characters studying?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the characteristics that generally compose a “protagonist” in narrative literature and examine how these qualities apply to the character of Jean Valjean. How does the narrator describe Valjean’s state of mind as he enters Digne in the beginning of the novel? What major change does Valjean undergo in Les Miserables?

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