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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 long does Toby know the Widow Wadham before he falls in love with her?

2. Why does Toby spend a few nights at the Widow Wadham's house?

3. Why does Walter want Tristram to wear breeches?

4. In Chapter 1 of Volume 5, what subject does Tristram discuss?

5. What does Billy inherit from Lieutenant Le Fever?

Short Essay Questions

1. What unusual friend does Tristram make in Lyon?

2. How does Toby react to the end of the war?

3. How does Walter Shandy react to Tristram's injury in Volume 5?

4. Why does Walter Shandy write Toby a letter in Volume 8?

5. Why does Trim take responsibility for Tristram's injury in Volume 5?

6. How does Toby discover his love for Widow Wadham?

7. What are the "beds of justice"?

8. How does Toby become Billy Le Fever's guardian?

9. How does the Shandy household react to the news of Bobby's death?

10. What might Tristram mean when he describes romance as, "It is with love as with cuck-oldom"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the symbolism evident in the novel. What is the significance of Bobby's death and Tristram's journey through France? How are symbols or symbolic imagery used to advance the plot?

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

How does the setting of the novel affect the mood of the story? Describe the differences between Sterne's masculine and feminine settings. Why does the masculine setting dominate the novel?

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