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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. When Sally Oats is sick, how does Silas Marner heal her?

2. What does Dunsey mean by “I’m always lucky in my weather” (39)?

3. What two people are draining Godfrey of his money through bribes and hush money?

4. Why is Godfrey waiting to speak with Dunsey when they enter the story in Chapter 3?

5. Why does Silas Marner suspect Jem Rodney of stealing his gold?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the overall feel of the conversation at the Rainbow before Silas Marner’s arrival?

2. How does the reaction of the crowd at the Rainbow to the theft differ from our modern handling of a crime?

3. Did Silas Marner suspect the possibility of being robbed? Why or why not?

4. What does Eliot accomplish by taking an entire chapter to set the scene at the Rainbow before Silas Marner’s arrival?

5. What is the narrative point of view of Silas Marner?

6. What happens when Silas heals his neighbor, the cobbler’s wife, from sickness?

7. Why does Godfrey have such a hard time with the idea of confessing his situation to his father?

8. In what ways does Godfrey overthink his guilt and planned confessions throughout the story?

9. Silas Marner turns to what activities to comfort himself in his bitterness?

10. The absence of Dunsey and the news of the death of Wildfire drives Godfrey to what decision?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

For 16 years Godfrey cares for Eppie as best he can from afar. Compare and contrast the positives of Godfrey’s provision with the negatives of his failure to confess his mistakes and own Eppie as his own daughter.

Essay Topic 2

A steady, reoccurring theme in the novel centers on how Silas Marner processes the various positive and negative events that occur throughout his life. An example of this can be seen in his hoarded gold. How does Eliot use Silas Marner’s gold and the loss of it to communicate his true brokenness not just from the theft but from his unhealed past?

Essay Topic 3

When the novel begins, Silas is already an established person in Raveloe. How is he viewed by his neighbors and those who live in the town?

(see the answer keys)

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