View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Lord Horn offer Richard, when Richard breaks into his house?

2. Where has Michael been hiding out?

3. What does Alec do when Richard is invited to join the Duchess?

4. How does the Duchess feel toward Lord Ferris during chapter 19?

5. Why did the Duchess want Richard brought to court?

Short Essay Questions

1. During his meeting with the Duchess, what does Richard learn about the betting about him?

2. What happens at the beginning of the formal inquiry into Lord Horn's death?

3. What allows Richard to win the duel in Chapter 16?

4. How do Alec and Richard react to Lord Horn lying at the trial?

5. How does Lord Ferris see his relationship with the Duchess?

6. What is Ginnie's reaction to the death of Lord Horn's swordsmen?

7. What letter do the kidnappers ask Alec to write to Richard?

8. After Richard leaves the Duchess's estate, what is Alec's attitude?

9. What is Richard and Alec's last night together like?

10. How does Lord Horn feel when he finds Richard has broken into his house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Richard, as a swordsman, has a violent and even bloodthirsty role in the novel. Discuss violence and death in the novel.

1) How does the society look at death? How seriously does the society take death and violence?

2) What power does Richard's ability to inflict death give him? What other characters gain power through death and violence?

3) How is violence viewed differently by the different social classes in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

The world of the novel is run primarily by men, leaving women as players in the background. Discuss the role of women in the novel.

1) What is the place of women in society in the novel? How is the role of women different on the Hill and in Riverside?

2) What is the Duchess's role in society like? How does she gather power in a world where men hold the power? How does she exemplify women among the nobles?

3) What is Katherine's role in society? How is her life different because she's a woman? What hazards and opportunities does her gender create?

Essay Topic 3

The nobility in the novel is very concerned with appearances and fashion. Discuss the role of appearances and fashion in the novel.

1) How is the nobility obsessed with appearance? How does appearance affect social status?

2) Why doe Richard get a new suit to go to the theater? What is his perception of this suit, and what role does it play in the culture he is moving in?

3) What does the nobility's obsession with appearance and fashion say about their values?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 785 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample