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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. What does Charles find when he helps riders repair their cart?

2. Where does Emma wish she had spent her honeymoon with Charles?

3. How long does it take Monsieur Rouault to begin walking after he has broken his leg?

4. What career does Charles Bovary eventually settle on to please his mother?

5. What city does Emma dream of visiting by tracing maps of it?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Chapter 1, what clues are given that Charles Bovary is a member of the middle class and is considered an "ordinary" person?

3. How is the cathedral described in Part 3: Chapter 1?

4. What tactics does Emma use in Part 3: Chapter 3 to get to see Léon on a more regular basis?

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

6. Compare and contrast Emma's and Charles' initial perceptions of their marriage in Chapter 5.

7. What subjects do Léon and Emma discuss in Part 2: Chapter 4 that reveal aspects of their personalities?

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

9. What are some of the clichés that the dignitaries use who speak at the agricultural show in Part 2: Chapter 8?

10. What character types do the animals at the fair symbolize in Chapter 2: Part 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the speeches at the agricultural fair, the dignitaries often mention "duty" and Rodolphe scoffs. What are some meanings and implications of the word "duty"? How does the concept of duty play throughout the novel, specifically in the following ways:

- marital duty.

- duty to morality.

- duty to career.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Although Emma is very much a Victorian woman, her story could also take place in modern times. How might her situation in life be different if she was alive in the 21st century? What options may have been open to her as a modern woman that weren't in the time of the book? What situations would be the same?

(see the answer keys)

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