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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. Why is Holgrave at the house at the beginning of the novel?

2. What becomes of the cousin of the convicted murderer?

3. How is the story of the land dispute known?

4. What is Clifford’s state of health?

5. What happened the day the Pyncheons moved into the House?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Judge try to do?

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

3. What did Maule do right before he died?

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

5. Explain who Clifford is and describe his homecoming.

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

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

8. What do Hepzibah's feelings towards the Judge seem to be?

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

10. How would you describe the House of Seven Gables?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Colonel Pyncheon and the older Matthew Maule lived on different socioeconomic classes, and this class difference helped determine the fates of both families. Write an essay explaining the importance of class differences in the novel through the Pyncheon and Maule ancestors as well as the novel’s contemporary characters.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the relationships among the characters in the house. Consider Hepzibah's, Phoebe's, Clifford's and Holgrave's relationships with one another, whether these relationships are implicit or explicit, and why these relationships are important.

(see the answer keys)

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