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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 Hepzibah decide about her surprise guest at the beginning of the novel?

2. What does the Judge repeatedly try to prevent Phoebe from doing?

3. What does Phoebe do for Hepzibah her first morning at the House?

4. What initial impression does Phoebe have of the Judge?

5. What has Hepzibah refused to accept?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were the Maules like as a family?

2. Who is Hepzibah Pyncheon and why does she run a shop out of the house?

3. Who is Phoebe and how does Hepzibah react to her arrival?

4. Who built the House of the Seven Gables? Why is this ironic?

5. Explain who Clifford is and describe his homecoming.

6. Describe the Puritan-era legal battle over the land the house sits on.

7. Describe the events surrounding the murder that was committed 30 years before the start of the story.

8. What tragedies soon afflicted the Pyncheon family?

9. Describe how Phoebe comes to stay at the House.

10. Describe Phoebe's first visit to the garden.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring Hepzibah and Phoebe and their roles as women in their society. How do the expectations and customs of nineteenth century new England influence their options and choices? How do these factors influence the events of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Holgrave’s daguerreotypes play important roles at specific points in the narrative. Write an essay that explores the significance of the old photographs, how Hawthorne uses them and how they help develop the themes in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the significance of Alice Pyncheon’s story. Why did Holgrave choose to share Alice’s story with Phoebe, and what is the importance of her story to the novel as a whole?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 853 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample