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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 Madame de Vionnet claim to detest?

2. What does Madame de Voinnet ask Strether in front of the Pococks in Book 9?

3. What does Strether think of Mamie in Book 9?

4. Whom does Strether encounter first at the beginning of Book 7?

5. Whom does Vionnet want Sarah to spend time with?

Short Essay Questions

1. Whom does Strether encounter first at the beginning of Book 7?

2. What does Madame de Vionnet ask Strether concerning Mrs. Newsome?

3. What present from Chad does Strether notice in Mamie Pocock's apartment?

4. Whom does Strether visit at the beginning of Book 9?

5. When Strether encounters Mamie Pocock, whom is she expecting?

6. Who has departed for Switzerland in Book 11?

7. What opinion does Mamie Pocock give Strether about Madame de Vionnet in Book 9?

8. Which new characters arrive in Paris in Book 8?

9. What does Strether do with the telegram he receives from Mrs. Newsome in Book 7?

10. What artist's painting does the scenery outside Paris remind Strether of?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you analyze the structure of the novel. Specifically, determine whether you think the novel's narrative arc exhibits structural unity.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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