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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. Why does Rosie want thirty shillings from Merivel?

2. Who is the story Pearce tells Merivel about?

3. What does Merivel do while he's hiding in his room?

4. What is Merivel supposed to look at on Wise Nell's neck?

5. What has happened to Merivel's dog while he was away?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the metaphor in the story that Pearce tells Merivel.

2. Why doesn't Merivel try to treat his dog himself?

3. How does Merivel get into Celia's room?

4. Describe what Finn tells Merivel about the present Finn brings.

5. How does Merivel convince Lady Bathurst that she has nothing to worry about regarding Celia?

6. Why does Reverend Sackpole want Merivel to examine Nell?

7. What does the King tell Merivel in his dream?

8. What is the distinction between the Idle and the Impotent?

9. What does the King's court like about Merivel?

10. What does Merivel think about when he visits Kaw?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Merivel is the central character of the novel, and much of the novel revolves around Merivel and his personal perceptions and growth. Discuss Merivel as a character.

1) What are Merivel's primary personality traits at the beginning of the novel? How did those traits develop?

2) How does Merivel change over the course of the novel? How does living at the mental hospital and among the poor in Cheapside affect him?

3) What is Merivel's personality like at the end of the novel? In what ways is he still the same, and in what ways has he changed?

Essay Topic 2

The novel is set in the historical period of the Restoration in England. Discuss this historical setting and the relationship between the novel and history.

1) Why did the author choose to set a novel in this time period and name the novel after the historical period?

2) How do historical events such as the fire in London and the plague affect the story?

3) How does your knowledge of things like modern medicine affect how you view the characters and what they do in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Merivel experiences different types of lives in the novel. He lives in the King's Court. He lives in a manor as a Lord. He also lives in a mental hospital, and in Cheapside, an impoverished area of London. In these different ways of life, Merivel finds differnt kinds of fulfillment and happiness. Discuss fulfillment and happiness in the novel.

1) Where is Merivel most fulfilled and happiness? Why?

2) Compare Merivel's happiness in the presence of the King to his happiness in the presence of Pearce. What different types of fulfillment do Merivel's most valued friends provide him?

3) How does Merivel's perception of what will make him happy change over the course of the novel?

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