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

2. Who comes along just as a fight is about to break out between Tess and another woman?

3. How old is Tess when she goes to Talbothays?

4. What is one of Tess's duties at the farm?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 11, what happens between Alec and Tess?

2. Tess tries once more to get the courage to tell Angel the truth. In Chapter 30, what happens when she tries?

3. Why does Tess feel threatened when she first sees Angel at Talbothays?

4. What prompts Tess to leave the dance early, and what does this scene tell readers about her character?

5. How is Mrs. D'Urberville described?

6. In Chapter 5 Tess is pressured to approach the D'Urbervilles for money. What does this scene, and her response, show about her?

7. 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?

8. What story does Tess hear at the farm that makes her resolve (again) not to marry Angel?

9. Why does Tess tell Angel she will explain everything to him the next Sunday?

10. In Chapter 6, how is Alec portrayed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What reason does Tess give Angel for having killed Alec? Do her reasons make sense? Do they justify her actions?

Essay Topic 2

Some people read Hardy's work as a commentary on forms of oppression (religious, political, racial, social). Discuss, using at least three different examples from the text to back up your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 47, Alec tells Tess that because she is the cause of his religious backsliding, she is obligated to marry him and share in his fate. What does he mean by this, and does his reasoning make any sense?

(see the answer keys)

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