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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. How does the King respond to Merivel's letter, asking to visit?

2. What effect does the plague have on the patients in the hospital?

3. How do Merivel and Katherine leave for London?

4. What instigated Katherine's illness?

5. What does Merivel name the baby?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Merivel discover when he examines Pearce?

2. Describe the signs that end up hanging outside Frances Elizabeth's house.

3. How does Merivel react to Katherine's death?

4. How does the King feel about Merivel, after time has passed?

5. What does the King advise Merivel to do with his life?

6. How does Will feel about his master leaving?

7. How does Merivel feel about Pearce?

8. How does Merivel treat Katherine on their journey?

9. How does Katherine react to the world outside the hospital?

10. What act of bravery does Merivel commit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Characters in the novel suffer in different ways and for different reasons. Discuss suffering in the novel.

1) One goal of medicine is to alleviate suffering. How does Merivel try to mitigate suffering as a doctor? How successful is he?

2) How do the poor suffer in the novel? Could their suffering be alleviated? Can one person, such as Merivel, help the poor, or would they need to be helped by changing the society?

3) How do the insane suffer in the novel? What causes their suffering? How can their suffering be alleviated?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss poverty and social class in the novel.

1) What different social strata exist in the novel? What determines what social class the people in the novel live in?

2) What allows characters in the novel to change social status, for better or worse? Why?

3) How does Merivel treat people of different social classes?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the values of the characters in the novel, and how the characters assign value to both material and immaterial things.

1) Discuss the valuation of the "nightingale." What gives it value to Merivel, Pearce, and Celia. Why?

2) How do the characters value immaterial things, such as love, friendship, family, tradition, and religion? What role do immaterial things play in the characters' lives?

3) How do the characters value other people? What is this valuation based on?

(see the answer keys)

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