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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. While Dorothea was away in Rome, what happened to her sister Celia?

2. How does Featherstone feel about Mary giving up her savings?

3. Where does Chapter 13 take place?

4. Who delivers the letter to Featherstone?

5. Farebrother reveals that Fred plans to study to become what?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Rosamond admire about Lydgate?

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

4. What are the objections that the men of Middlemarch express about the way Lydgate practices medicine?

5. Summarize Lydgate's background.

6. After the reading of the will, how does Mr. Vincy feel about Rosamond's marrying Lydgate?

7. What do Fred and Peter Stonehouse fight about?

8. Why does the author choose to write this novel?

9. What are the reasons Mary Garth gives Fred for refusing to marry him? What is Fred's response?

10. How does the situation of the Garth family change in Chapter 40?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

There are many examples of symbolism in the novel; for examples, the keys Featherstone is holding when he dies, Fred's horse, and so on. Analyze the author's use of these symbols and what their use contributes to the novel as a whole. Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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