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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. Lizzie Rose shows Parsefall some of the items that she found in Grisini’s room as she was cleaning it in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 20. What do the items consist of?

2. Who is said to have gone missing in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 8?

3. What is the title of Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 16?

4. Where had Clara first encountered Grisini’s puppet-stage, according to the narrator in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 1?

5. What does Cassandra hit with the mirror instead of the phoenix-stone in the end of the Prologue: “Fire”?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Lizzie Rose and Parsefall respond when learning of the tragedy that befell Clara’s siblings in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 3?

2. What causes Dr. Wintermute shame when he talks with his daughter in the end of Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 6?

3. What information does Mrs. Pinchbeck relate to Lizzie Rose of Grisini’s past in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 9?

4. What is Grisini doing in the beginning of Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 14? Why?

5. What are Clara’s impressions of the puppet show in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 4?

6. What causes the commotion that comes from downstairs at Mrs. Pinchbeck’s boarding house in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 8?

7. How is the meeting between Clara, Lizzie Rose, and Parsefall described in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 3?

8. What part of Clara’s birthday party is she most looking forward to in the beginning of Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 1?

9. Whom does Clara encounter on her way to bed in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 5? How is this exchange described?

10. What vision does Cassandra experience on her birthday in Part One: “Fog,” Chapter 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Poverty and Wealth in Splendors and Glooms

a. Discuss the discrepancies between the wealthy and poor characters in the novel. How does Clara’s day-to-day life differ from that of Lizzie Rose or Parsefall?

b. How does the financial outlook for Lizzie Rose and Parsefall change in the course of the narrative? What initiates these changes? How does this influence them as characters?

Essay Topic 2

Plot Structure

a. Discuss the plot structure of Splendors and Glooms. In what ways is the narrative related and what effect does this have on the reader?

b. How does Splendors and Glooms compare with other novels written during this time period? Are there specific stylistic elements that can be seen in Schlitz’s writing?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the character of Parsefall and his history in the novel. What is a “workhouse” and why was Parsefall living there prior to Grisini taking him? How old is this character? How does Parsefall’s character evolve in the story?

(see the answer keys)

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