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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 interesting sight does the narrator remember seeing in Monaco?

2. Who is responsible for attending to the narrator's letters?

3. Why does the narrator think "ripping" is a poor word to describe her two weeks in Maxim's company?

4. Why is the narrator rather shocked at herself?

5. Of what is Rebecca's vase made?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways is the protagonist of Rebecca a mystery?

2. What is the difficult position Mrs. de Winter imagines she might shortly be in?

3. Is the protagonist's assessment of herself, as not having guts, a true one?

4. Could this novel have been called Manderley, not Rebecca?

5. What does the protagonist learn about herself during this chapter?

6. What evidence is there of Rebecca's approach to her work of running Manderley?

7. What does Maxim say is missing from his proposal?

8. Why does the protagonist say that she is coming to dread any reference to the sea?

9. In what ways does Rebecca conform to the genre of romance fiction?

10. In what ways does Mrs. Van Hopper reveal her snobbishness?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"The destruction of Manderley symbolizes the destruction of the genteel world of the early twentieth century, with all its hypocrisy." Do you agree? Write a substantial essay that reviews the themes of the novel.

Essay Topic 2

"Daphne du Maurier's accomplishment is to build a tense and engaging story around an essentially weak protagonist." Do you agree? Discuss with close reference to the characters and relationships depicted in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

What elements of the novel Rebecca do you think are similar to the fairy-tale? In your answer, refer to characters and structure as well as subtext. Does the novel subvert the fairytale elements to any extent?

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