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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 do Hugo and Ginnie tell Richard not to go to the performance?

2. How difficult is it for Richard to break into Lord Horn's house?

3. What happens when Lord Ferris tries to visit the Duchess?

4. What is Alec's attitude toward being the Duchess's heir?

5. Who does Lord Ferris want to meet with, after he hears that Michael has left town?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do the men who capture Richard incapacitate him?

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

4. Describe the Duchess and Michael's first night as lovers.

5. How did Katherine end her position with Lord Ferris?

6. How does the Duchess act toward Michael?

7. Where does Richard meet Katherine after the trial?

8. What does Richard think of the performance he and Alec go to?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several characters move between social classes in the novel. Discuss moving between social classes in Swordspoint.

1) How does Katherine move out of Riverside and to the Hill? What is the cost and benefit of this move? Why does she make it? How does it change her life and status?

2) How does Alec move out of the Hill and into Riverside? What is the cost and benefit of this move? Why does he make it? How does it change his life and status?

3) How does Richard, as a swordsman, move between the upper and lower classes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the novel's point of view.

1) Why does the novel move between different characters' points of view? What different perspectives does it give the reader?

2) What are the primary characters whose points of view are shown in the novel? Find a character who never takes the narrative point of view. Why is this character excluded?

3) How much does the reader's perspective change as the point of view switches between different characters or areas of the society?

Essay Topic 3

One of the primary thematic ideas in the novel is social class. Discuss social class in the novel.

1) What are the social classes in the novel, and what defines them? How does society treat the members of different social classes?

2) How do the characters in the novel fit into their social classes, and what dissatisfies characters about their social classes?

3) How do the different social classes interact with each other and affect each other?

(see the answer keys)

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