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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 the secretary of state's response to the assistant commissioner's request to have Heat removed from the investigation of the Greenwich Park explosion?

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

3. What is Winnie concerned about while Mr. Verloc is on his trip in Chapter 9?

4. To whom does Winnie's mother entrust what she views as her most valuable asset, her son Stevie?

5. At the start of Chapter 11, right after Heat departs, how does Mr. Verloc find Winnie?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the opening scene of Chapter 11once Chief Inspector Heat has departed the Verloc home?

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

3. How does Chapter 8 conclude with regard to Mrs. Neale?

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. Who does the assistant commissioner go to see at the start of Chapter 7? What figure of speech is used to compare these two figures? And what does the person the assistant commission visits express as his initial concern?

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

7. 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?

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

9. What does the assistant commissioner do after completing his visit with the secretary of state?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Conrad skillfully uses dilemmas faced by characters within his novel. These are situations where the characters must make choices that have consequences. At the start of the story, Mr. Verloc must choose whether he will satisfy Mr. Vladimir's desire for the bombing of a science center, or risk losing his financial support and possibly his well-being. Select four situations where characters face dilemmas. Detail the choices that must be made, the consequences they need to consider, and what motivates them to take the paths they choose. Do any of them have the same motivation(s)?

Essay Topic 2

In Chapters 9-13, Conrad introduces into the plot numerous ironic twists of fate involving the Verlocs and Ossipon. Please describe these twists and the irony involved. Examine how Conrad uses any other ironies within his tale.

Essay Topic 3

The professor is never identified beyond his nickname, however, his character is a significant one in the story. Examine his encounter initially with Ossipon in Chapter 4 and once again in Chapter 13. Examine the professor's personality before and subsequent to the bomb explosion, and compare it to Ossipon's before and subsequent to the death of Winnie.

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