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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. In Volume 5, why does Mrs. Shandy eavesdrop on her husband?

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

3. Which city does Tristram describe as nasty and foul-smelling?

4. From where does Lieutenant Le Fever come?

5. Why are the lead weights removed from the window that falls on Tristram?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Tristram's mother eavesdrop on Walter and Toby's conversation in Volume 5?

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

4. What irony exists in Walter Shandy's attempt to write a child-rearing book?

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

6. How is Tristram injured at the age of five?

7. What could Bobby's death symbolize to Tristram?

8. What position does Toby recommend Billy Le Fever assume in the Shandy household?

9. How does Toby plan to approach Widow Wadham about his affections?

10. What are the "beds of justice"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How are philosophies expressed in the novel? Describe the purpose Sterne may have had for Walter Shandy's philosophical ramblings. What philosophies does Tristram express and how do these ideas affect the action of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of irony in the novel. What ironies result from Uncle Toby's hobbies? What is the purpose of the ironies evident in the novel? Is irony an effective tool to change behavior?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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