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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. Specifically, what is it Winnie offers in exchange for Ossipon's assistance in escape on the evening of Mr. Verloc's demise?

2. Following a verbal confrontation between Winnie and Mr. Verloc on the evening she learns of Stevie's death, what does her Mr. Verloc presume?

3. What does Winnie explain to Stevie about the purpose of the police when he states they should do something for the poor?

4. How does the assistant commissioner feel in regard to his conversation with Mr. Verloc on the evening of the Greenwich Park explosion?

5. How long before the bombing does Winnie's mother move from the Verloc residence into the charity home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is it the cab driver complains about at the house and what is the sibling's reaction?

2. What is Mr. Verloc's disposition at the beginning of Chapter 9?

3. Describe what is compared to the sound of an insane clock at the conclusion of Chapter 11?

4. What does Mrs. Verloc's sibling do when a cab driver whips his horse on the ride over to the charity home? Why does her sibling reaction in this way?

5. Describe what Mrs. Verloc's mother is doing at the start of Chapter 8 and what is motivating her?

6. What three things surprise Mr. Verloc upon his return from his ten days away?

7. What action does Mr. Verloc take when Mrs. Verloc goes upstairs following her confrontation with him in the kitchen after she learned of Stevie's death?

8. Where does the assistant commissioner go for his evening meal and what catches his attention?

9. What is described as being what Mrs. Verloc fears most in the beginning of Chapter 12?

10. When Ossipon jumps from the moving train and abandons Mrs. Verloc with no funds, what does he tell the railway workers who gather around him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Adolf Verloc is found to be a French spy by the second chapter. But it is not until Chapter 6 that the reader learns he has also been an informant for Chief Inspector Heat. By the end of Chapter 5 it is know that the bomb victim was not Heat as thought possible in Chapter 4, but who is it then? Examine how Conrad uses surprise and secrecy throughout his novel.

Essay Topic 2

Mr. Verloc fears the consequences of failing to satisfy his superiors. Consider in detail this and other instances of Conrad's use of the theme of fear in his story.

Essay Topic 3

One of a variety of themes which run through Conrad's novel is social reform and terrorist acts. Examine and compare the different character's views of this topic. Include the members of the International Red Committee, the professor, Chief Inspector Heat, the assistant commissioner, and the secretary of state. Consider how Conrad uses this theme through his novel.

(see the answer keys)

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