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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. Why does Felicite leave the farm she was working at while she dated Theodore?

2. What is unusual about the children's beds?

3. Where is Félicité's bedroom?

4. What new activity do Félicité and Virginie begin at Christmas time?

5. What kind of a mantle is in the living room?

Short Essay Questions

1. Do you think it's significant that Félicité misses Virginie's death because she goes back to lock up in case of thieves?

2. How is it significant that the parrot is being eaten by maggots, but Félicité neither knows nor cares?

3. Think back on the story as a whole. What do you think is the major theme and why?

4. How is Félicité introduced to the reader in the first chapter?

5. What do you think Félicité means when she says of Victor's death that "'It doesn't matter a bit, not to them it doesn't'"?

6. Describe the impression that the narrator gives you of Mme. Aubain's house.

7. Does it seem important that Félicité asks Fabu's forgiveness before she dies?

8. Explain the irony of Félicité's dismissal from her first job.

9. How does Flaubert choose to describe the procession of Corpus Christi and Félicité's death? What affect does this have?

10. Why do you think Félicité is hurt by people's jokes about Loulou?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Mme. Aubain and Félicité's reactions to Virginie's death. How do their reactions fit in with their characters in general?

Essay Topic 2

The most crucial moment in Félicité's relationship with Mme. Aubain is when the two of them embrace. Analyze this scene and Félicité's reaction to the experience. How does this change her relationship with Mme. Aubain? Why is it so important to Félicité? What impact does it have on the story generally?

Essay Topic 3

There are several instances of classism in this novel, especially between Mme. Aubain and Félicité, but also between others; for example, between M. Bourais and Félicité. Using specific examples from the text, consider the way that the narrator treats these instances and whether or not there is an implicit or overt commentary on the subject. Does the text pass a judgment on classist behavior or is it a straightforward depiction of the existence of classism?

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This section contains 1,550 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample