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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 Gervais believe the Colonel had in his possession when he died?

2. In what way does Maule hope that Alice can help him?

3. What does Holgrave offer to Phoebe?

4. What does Phoebe tell Holgrave after he reads her his story?

5. Maule offers to help Gervais in exchange for what?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What did Maule do to Alice?

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

4. What does Holgrave experiment with?

5. How does Phoebe contribute?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The novel presents many examples of persons or things that are not what they initially seem. Write an essay that explores how the novel develops the theme of appearance vs. reality.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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