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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. How does Clifford act when he appears again after his meeting with the Judge?

2. What does Clifford do when he sees the political rally?

3. What statement best describes Hepzibah’s appearance?

4. What sneaky thing does Maule do?

5. How is Phoebe changing by the time she gains more free time?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Holgrave's attitudes towards society and tradition.

2. Describe what life is like for the four residents of the House.

3. In Holgrave's narrative, what was Gervais Pyncheon trying the find?

4. How does the author build suspense as Hepzibah waits while the Judge meets with Clifford?

5. What does Hepzibah find in the parlor?

6. What does Holgrave experiment with?

7. How does the atmosphere of the House influence Phoebe?

8. How has Clifford's behavior changed when he comes back?

9. What happened to Phoebe while Holgrave had been reading, and how did Holgrave account for it?

10. What does Holgrave offer to read to Phoebe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that explains the significance of the romance between Phoebe and Holgrave. How does Hawthorne foreshadow its development? Why is it important? How does their union resolve the “curse” of the House of Seven Gables?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that explores how Hawthorne develops Hepzibah and Phoebe as central characters in the novel. How do they differ? How are they similar? How do the two characters taken together help deepen the themes of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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