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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. After running into Binet, what do Emma and Rodolphe decide to do?

2. As Emma and Léon get to know each other, what do they originally discuss?

3. How many different beds does Emma realize that she has slept in during her short life?

4. What happens on Emma's wedding night that causes some people to think that she and her father are acting above their class?

5. What seems to disappoint Emma about her pregnancy and the birth of her child, Berthe?

Short Essay Questions

1. By Part 2: Chapter 7, do you think Emma has become a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

2. How does Emma's attitude change towards what other people think of her in Part 2: Chapter 12?

3. Why do people begin to suspect in Part 2: Chapter 4 that Léon and Emma might have affections for one another?

4. How are Léon and Emma like honeymooners in Part 3: Chapter 3?

5. Explain Charles' reaction to learning of his father's death in Part 3: Chapter 2.

6. How does Emma's funeral in Part 3: Chapter 9 compare with Emma's day-to-day life?

7. In Chapter 7, Emma receives a greyhound as a pet. Why is this gift so important to her?

8. Emma seeks comfort in the church in Part 2: Chapter 6. How does her interaction with Abbé Bournisien reflect on her personal interaction with religion?

9. What elements from "Lucie de Lammermoor" reflect themes or events in Emma's own life in Part 2: Chapter 15?

10. In Part 2: Chapter 9, Emma describes her emotions surrounding her relationship with Rodolphe as a "second puberty". What behaviors does she exhibit that resemble those of an adolescent?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In many ways, Madame Bovary is a critique of the middle-class life, and the constraints, expectations, and disappointments that are a part of it. Compare the world of the Bovarys to a typical American middle class existence. Specifically, address the following issues faced by the typical middle class family today and relate them to themes that Flaubert threads throughout his novel:

- Debt and financial crises

- The increase in depression and the need for therapy

- A search for community through online or virtual meeting places rather than in face-to-face scenarios

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, the middle-class is contrasted to the upper-class. Compare and contrast how Flaubert describes and characterizes these two groups using examples specifically from the two main events highlighting them: the ball and the agricultural fair.

Essay Topic 3

Bovarism describes an attitude of self-indulgence and hedonism that is self-destructive. Obviously, Emma's character is the inspiration for this name. Can bovarism ever be positive? Did any of Emma's behaviors and actions ever help others or leave positive effects or consequences? Explain using examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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