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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. Who is sent to fetch Dr. Slop?

2. What saves Toby's life after the war?

3. What do Walter and Toby do after Dr. Slop leaves the parlor?

4. What animal does Toby gently catch and release when Tristram is ten?

5. In Volume 4, why does the man with the big nose travel to Strasborg?

Short Essay Questions

1. With what hobby is Toby Shandy obsessed?

2. Describe Tristram Shandy.

3. How does Yorick assist the midwife?

4. Describe Walter Shandy.

5. What topics do the men discuss in Volume 2 while waiting for Tristram's birth?

6. Why does Trim deliver a sermon in Volume 2?

7. To what does Uncle Toby attribute to Tristram's problems before entering the world?

8. How does Walter Shandy attempt to change Tristram's name?

9. How does Walter Shandy help his brother after he returns from war?

10. What differing opinions do Walter Shandy and his wife have about childbirth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What elements of foreshadowing are present in the novel? How does foreshadowing motivate the action of the plot? How does Sterne use foreshadowing as a marketing tool?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Sterne's Yorick with Shakespeare's Yorick. How are both characters tragic? What role does Sterne's Yorick play in Tristram's life compared to the role Shakespeare's Yorick plays in Hamlet's life? Why might Sterne have chosen Yorick to deliver the last line of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What views about social class are expressed in the novel? How do the Shandys treat their servants? Why does Dr. Slop make such a point to verbally abuse Obidiah and complain about the midwife? What perception of social class does Tristram express?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 958 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample