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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 endeavor is the banker sponsoring?

2. Lydgate's reputation is bolstered when his medical advice is sought by whom?

3. Why does Mr. Brooke disapprove of Dorothea's engagement to Casaubon?

4. Mary Garth is what to Peter Featherstone?

5. Lydgate compares himself to physicians of old who did what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Fred Vincy in Chapter 23?

2. What do Fred and Peter Stonehouse fight about?

3. Why does Casaubon propose to Dorothea?

4. What happens on the night of Featherstone's death?

5. Why is Dorothea saddened while on her honeymoon?

6. Casaubon admits to himself that he chose to marry Dorothea for what reasons?

7. What do Dorothea and Will talk about during Will's visit?

8. How do Lydgate and Rosamond, respectively, feel about marriage after their dinner together in Chapter 16?

9. Why does Lydgate visit Lowick in Chapter 42?

10. What is the purpose of Dorothea's first visit to Lowick? What happens there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the political system in Middlemarch, and compare it with the politics of a small town today. What changes have been made, and why do you think they occurred? Are there any similarities? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

One of the turning points in the novel is when Rosamond loses her baby. Lydgate blames the riding accident but she believes it would have happened anyway. What statement is the author making in regard to Rosamond's rebellion against her husband? Do you think Rosamond really believes that the miscarriage would have happened without the accident, or is she simply trying to assuage her guilt? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Casaubon and Ladislaw. How are they described? What imagery is associated with each of them? Without knowing their characters well, what would these factors tell you about each character? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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