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 Mr. Crick think made the butter taste unpleasant?

2. Tess appears to lose hope in Chapter 13. Why?

3. Hardy's description of Tess and Angel likens them to ___.

4. Tess has made a pact with the other dairymaids. What does she swear?

5. Angel's father refused to send him to college. Why?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the scene concerning the accident with the horse. What does that show about Tess's character?

2. In Chapter 19, Hardy introduces another of the perceived road blocks to the relationship between Tess and Angel, from her point of view. What?

3. How does Tess deal with her situation in Chapter 13, when she is living at her parents' home, and is pregnant and shunned by the community?

4. Describe the circumstances under which Angel and Tess see each other for the first time.

5. Why does Tess go to work at Talbothays, and what does she hope will happen once she is away from home?

6. How does Tess learn that Angel is in love with her, and what is her reaction?

7. How does Tess's mother react when she returns home after her sexual encounter with Alec? What does Mrs. Durbeyfield's reaction tell us about her as a mother?

8. Angel uses the phrase "Three Leahs to get to one Rachel." What does he mean by this?

9. How is Mr. Durbeyfield portrayed in in the first chapter?

10. Why is Tess upset when her baby becomes ill and dies, and what does this show about her attitude towards religion?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Hardy describe Tess and Angel in terms of Adam and Eve? Discuss what this sort of description implies about their relationship, and the way they regard each other. Is there any hope for a relationship of this kind?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters of Alec and Angel. As archetypes, what do these two characters contribute to Hardy's overall message or theme?

Essay Topic 3

Thomas Hardy's subtitle refers to a 'pure' woman. Discuss this idea of 'purity' with respect to the main character. Is Tess a 'pure woman' - why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,102 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample