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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 Mrs. Fisher first ask Mrs. Wilkins to provide in Chapter 3?

2. What is Hampstead?

3. What do Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot advertise in The Times?

4. What did Lady Caroline and Mrs. Fisher feel they had the right to when they arrived at the house?

5. What does Mrs. Arbuthnot playfully remind Mrs. Wilkins of in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mrs. Arbuthnot come to the conclusion that both she and Mrs. Wilkins are miserable in Chapter 1?

2. Describe Mrs. Fisher.

3. What do Costanza and Domenico want from Lady Caroline in Chapter 8?

4. How does Mrs. Wilkins react to the advertisement she sees in the newspaper in Chapter 1 and why does she react in this manner?

5. Why does Mrs. Wilkins approach Mrs. Arbuthnot in Chapter 1?

6. What are some defining characteristics attributed to Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot in Chapter 1?

7. What is shared in Chapter 2 in regards to Mrs. Arbuthnot's marriage?

8. What do Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot think of Lady Caroline's beauty in Chapter 6?

9. Why is Lady Caroline already in Italy in Chapter 6?

10. What sparks Mrs. Wilkins' and Mrs. Arbuthnots' debate about heaven?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze von Arnim's use of irony. What are some examples of irony in the novel? How do these examples affect the reader's experience when reading the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the friendships which form throughout the novel. How do the four women lean on each other? How do they help one another grow? Are any of the bonds which form surprising? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the motif of loneliness. Who is lonely at the beginning of the novel and why? How does she (or they) open themselves up to others? How does she (or they) express their loneliness and desire for friendships?

(see the answer keys)

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