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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 is Matthew Peake's position within the family?

2. What does the Earl accidentally knock over in the prologue?

3. Who does Jack say some people think he is married to?

4. What does Charles say is worse than insanity?

5. Who does Tucker announce?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jack kill Claire?

2. Why does Herder think Jack married Marguerite?

3. What part of upperclass life does Claire tell Jack she finds difficult?

4. How does Charles respond to Claire's death?

5. How do Jack and Tucker show their solidarity in Act 2, Scene 1?

6. Why does Dinsdale say he in concerned by Jack's illness?

7. How does Jack say he discovered he was God?

8. Why does Herder think Jack was lucky?

9. What does the conversation between the Earl and Tucker reveal about the Earl's situation?

10. How does Jack respond when Herder accuses him of killing Claire?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Aside from the main character, examine the way the author uses the other characters in the book. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

Essay Topic 2

Examine upper class life.

1) How do people in the British upper classes view life?

2) What influence have the British upper classes had on popular culture?

3) How does the author express both the negative and positive aspects of British upper class life?

Essay Topic 3

In 1972, THE RULING CLASS was made into a film starring Peter O'Toole. Why do you think the themes and ideas in the book were still relevant six years later? How did the filmmakers adapt the themes to fit in with the new environment? How did these changes affect the meaning of the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 652 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample