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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Michael discover Lucetta is in Casterbridge?
(a) Michael sees her at Susan's grave.
(b) Lucetta strategically runs into him at the marketplace.
(c) Elizabeth describes the mystery woman to Henchard.
(d) He remembers Templeman is Lucetta's aunt's surname.

2. Susan writes a letter to Michael when on her deathbed. What does she request of him concerning this letter?
(a) To forgive her for her simplicity.
(b) That he opens it only after she passes away.
(c) That he opens it on Elizabeth's wedding day.
(d) That he reads it in secrecy and burns the letter afterward.

3. Michael incessantly criticizes Elizabeth for what?
(a) Her fashion sense.
(b) Her courtship with Farfrae.
(c) Her dialect.
(d) Her inability to stand up for herself.

4. What news are the townsfolk waiting for at the end of chapter 30?
(a) What becomes of Elizabeth.
(b) What becomes of the furmity woman.
(c) Whether Henchard keeps his business.
(d) Whether Donald keeps his business.

5. What is Michael Henchard's initial reaction when Elizabeth requests to leave?
(a) He is hurt.
(b) He is agreeable and willing.
(c) He is angry she leaves him.
(d) He is suspicious.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Henchard suggest to announce in the paper?

2. Where does Susan and her daughter first see Michael Henchard?

3. When Elizabeth meets Lucetta on the road, who/what attacks them?

4. At the scene of the wagon crash, when Henchard's man says the word of Lucetta and Elizabeth Jane are not to be accounted for because all women swoon for Donald, Henchard __________.

5. How is Casterbridge best described?

Short Essay Questions

1. Henchard becomes distraught and angry at the idea that Elizabeth is not his daughter. Out of pride, he does not tell her after the big deal he makes for her to change her name. How does Henchard express his feelings if not in telling her the truth?

2. How does Solomon Longways view the mayor?

3. Hardy makes note that the Three Mariners sign is old. However, it is not due to the owner's lack of care as it is the lack of a painter in town. What does that imply about Casterbridge?

4. Henchard is a man of wealth and status in Casterbridge, yet he is lonely in friendship as well as marriage. As soon as he meets Farfrae, he is intrigued. Not only does he look to Farfrae as a business manager, but also as a friend. What benefits and dangers does Henchard risk in befriending Farfrae so early on with such sensitive confessions?

5. At first request, Michael is agreeable to let Elizabeth leave and gain independence. But when the time comes for her to leave, he gets angry and flustered at the idea. Why does Henchard react with such contradiction?

6. Earlier in the book, Jopp is tersely introduced and forgotten when his management position is taken by Farfrae. Re-introduced years later in chapter 26, he is described as coming from the back slum and his clothing a sign of need. Unjustly fired, what role do you think Jopp plays in Henchard's life?

7. How does Michael Henchard feel when Susan leaves with the sailor?

8. Donald Farfrae is a stranger in Casterbridge, yet he decides to help Henchard. This is not a common act between strangers as seen by Henchard's surprise. What does this say about Farfrae's character? Does he really want something or is he really acting as a good Samaritan?

9. When the furmity woman is shown as the defendant, Henchard notices something familiar but the thought flees his mind as quickly as it comes in. How does the furmity woman represent the sale of his wife twenty years ago? How does Henchard's reaction to the furmity woman represent how he feels about the transaction?

10. What is the atmosphere of the furmity tent when Michael offers his wife for sale?

(see the answer keys)

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