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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. What does Bilham ask Strether in Book 4?

2. What does Miss Gostrey tell Strether in Book 4?

3. What does Miss Gostrey say is Strether's failure?

4. What does Madame de Vionnet ask Strether in Book 5?

5. What does Strether say he has heard about Madame de Vionnet in Book 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Strether first see Bilham standing?

2. What physical change does Strether notice in Chad?

3. What is the French term for breakfast and what does Waymarsh think about it?

4. What analogy does Waymarsh use to refer to Strether's errand in Book 3?

5. To what does Miss Barrace compare Waymarsh when she first meets him?

6. Why does Chad's mother want him to return to America?

7. What is Jeanne wearing when Strether first meets her?

8. How do Madame de Vionnet and Miss Gostrey know one another?

9. What does Chad reply when Strether asks him if he is engaged to Jeanne de Vionnet?

10. What does Strether ask Bilham in Book 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you discuss how Strether's self-confidence shifts throughout the novel. In your essay, consider how Strether's changes in perception and acquaintances affect this change.

Essay Topic 2

The difference between America and Europe is a prominent theme throughout the novel. Write an essay in which you discuss how the writer characterizes each country. You may use as evidence either descriptive language used with respect to each environment or the effect that these places have on the novel's characters.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you examine James' psychological portrayal of his characters. Is it possible always to know what James' characters are thinking? Do certain characters' views surprise the reader? Are the thoughts of the characters of greater interest to the writer than the action of the plot? Examine the psychological complexity of the novel's characters, and argue whether you think The Ambassadors is a psychological novel.

(see the answer keys)

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