View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is an early routine that Charles and Emma establish as newlyweds?

2. How has Lhereux ruined the life of a local townsman?

3. Why is Charles unhappy during his first few weeks as Yonville's doctor?

4. Why does Rodolphe suggest that Emma should begin horseback riding with him?

5. Why is Emma unhappy when she is no longer at the convent?

Short Essay Questions

1. What themes in the books she reads reveal specific aspects of Emma's personality in Chapter 6?

2. 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?

3. In Chapter 9 the reader begins to see the more superficial side of Emma. What does Emma do in this chapter that reflects her rather tragic and wasteful life?

4. In Part 2: Chapter 2 Emma reflects on each of the 4 different beds she has slept on in her life. How does each of these beds represent an important stage in her development as a character?

5. Describe Emma's conflicting motives in her interactions with Binet, Guillaumin and Rodolphe in Part 3: Chapter 7.

6. Explain the differences between Homais' and Abbé Bournisien's views on religion in Part 3: Chapter 9.

7. What clues does the boatman give in Part 3: Chapter 3 that suggest he has recently had Rodolphe as a customer?

8. Part 2: Chapter 7 introduces the reader to the foreshadowed relationship between Rodolphe and Emma. What are Rodolphe's perceptions of Emma's character?

9. Describe the beggar's appearance in Part 3: Chapter 5.

10. How does Emma sink even deeper in debt in Part 3: Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The acquisition of material possessions is almost as important to Emma as acquiring affection and romance. In this way, Lhereux can be seen as another of Emma's lovers, since through his knowledge of her debts he is actually involved in a very intimate relationship with her. She spends a lot of time with him, and he must understand her in a way that is much more objective than others do, in order to get what he wants from her. Describe in what ways Lhereux is like another lover to Emma? How does he see Emma differently from the way Charles does or Rodolphe and Léon do? What does he know about her that no one else does? Does the fact that his relationship with her is "strictly business" make their relationship any more or less moral? Why?

Essay Topic 2

The novel presents many tragic deaths, and the characters deal with them in often what seem like unsympathetic ways. What does this tell you about Flaubert's view of middle-class society. Describe the following deaths and how the surviving friends and family members react to them:

• The death of Charles' first wife.

• The death of Charles' father.

• Emma's death.

Essay Topic 3

The idea of "provincial living" is often critiqued by Emma. She feels constrained by both her life in Tostes and in Yonville. Describe what specifically distresses her about the provincial life. What do other characters in the novel seem to like about it?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,342 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample