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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. Which statement best describes the relationship between Maule and Alice?

2. How does Maule defy tradition when he comes to the House?

3. Why does Clifford want to hold the roses?

4. Which statement best describes the initial relationship between Hepzibah and Clifford?

5. What does the Judge reveal to Hepzibah during his visit following Phoebe's departure?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Holgrave offer to read to Phoebe?

2. How do Clifford and Hepzibah get along once Clifford is home?

3. What are some of the things Clifford watches from the arched window, and how does he react to what he sees?

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

5. How did Gervais believe that Maule could help him?

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

7. Maule agreed to help Gervais under two conditions. What were they?

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

9. How is Clifford's homecoming both bitter and sweet?

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

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

Write an essay that explores the narrator as a character in the novel. Is the narrator Hawthorne himself or a separate character telling us the story? How does Hawthorne use the narrator to communicate his own attitudes towards the issues and characters in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Natural details in the novel play a small but noteworthy part in developing the setting and supporting the themes. Write an essay on the importance of natural elements, including the tree, the garden and the posies.

(see the answer keys)

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