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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 the Cure de Torcy tell the young priest about prayer?

2. What is the content of the letter Mme la Comtesse sends to the priest?

3. Of what does Mlle Louise warn the young priest?

4. What does the priest now think is the source of his pain?

5. Who informs the Cure de Torcy about the priest's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does the priest go after his doctor's appointment in Lille?

2. Why is Mme la Comtesse adamant about sending Mlle Chantal to finishing school?

3. What does the priest note about his illness in Chapter 6?

4. Explain how the situation with the medallion is the climax of the novel.

5. What is the Cure de Torcy's simplistic advice for the young priest who feels he is suffering a crisis of faith and vocation?

6. What secret and personal pain does Mme la Comtesse reveal to the priest?

7. What does the priest learn from the sacristan regarding the general perception people have of him?

8. In what circumstances does the priest feel youthful for the first time in his life?

9. Why has the girl, Seraphita, tied a string tightly around her leg?

10. How does the priest handle the matter of Mlle Chantal with Mme la Comtesse?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The young priest is a tragic figure, made more so when he experiences the feeling of being young when riding the motorbike so close to the time of his death. What lessons does the author want the reader to learn from the young priest's life and death?

Essay Topic 2

The young priest comes to the conclusion that he has not suffered any real injustice in his life. How can he say this when most people would consider his life to be nothing but a series of injustices? How is he able to see only the good about his life? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Do a character sketch on the Cure de Torcy. What role does he play in the novel? What role does he play in the young priest's life?

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