View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do Clifford and Hepzibah do after Clifford reappears following his meeting with the Judge?

2. What statement best describes Hepzibah’s appearance?

3. What eventually drives Alice to her death?

4. What happens to Phoebe while Holgrave is reading his story?

5. Before helping Gervais, what does Maule insist on?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens to cause Phoebe to have more leisure time, and how does she spend it?

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

4. What does Holgrave experiment with?

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

6. How is Phoebe changing, and why?

7. How does Phoebe contribute?

8. What did Phoebe do and what was the impact on the mood of the House?

9. What childish impulse does Clifford give in to and who witnesses it?

10. Describe Matthew Maule's demeanor when he came to the house.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay discussing how the novel develops the motif of stability vs. transience, or tradition vs. modernity. Which characters symbolize which side of this opposition? How does this motif help develop the themes in the novel? What is Hawthorne trying to convey with this motif?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 706 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample