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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 Lewis not want to do in Chapter Seven?

2. What does Lewis do after he hears Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman's discussion in Chapter Eight?

3. Where is Uncle Jonathan's coal bin in Chapter Ten?

4. What does Lewis do to the clock in Chapter Ten?

5. What does Lewis touch on the mantlepiece in the Hanchett's house in Chapter Nine?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who appears in the basement in Chapter Nine? What are they carrying?

2. In Chapter Ten, how do Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman, and Lewis say the Izard’s magic is? How do they say theirs is?

3. What does Lewis ask Uncle Jonathan about the Hanchett House in Chapter Eight? How does Uncle Jonathan respond?

4. How does Uncle Jonathan say in Chapter Six that Izard’s tomb was marked? What did this symbol mean?

5. How do they celebrate Christmas at the Barnavelt’s house in Chapter Eight? How does Lewis feel?

6. What does Lewis see at night in Chapter Eight? What do they say?

7. Why do Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman say Isaac Izard needed a clock in Chapter Eight? What else went wrong with Izard’s plan?

8. In Chapter Seven, Hammerhandle move across the street from Barnvault’s Folly. He is known for his mean temper and for being rumored to be able to tell the future. His name is from the handles he makes for Hammers and other instruments.

9. What does Lewis do after he talks to Tarby in Chapter Nine? What does he decide?

10. How does Tarby react when Lewis tries to talk to him in Chapter Nine? What does Lewis do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lewis evolves from the beginning to the end of the novel. Characterize his evolution using examples from the novel. Then answer the question: What does Lewis’ character change show as the message of the novel? Write three pages with at least four textual examples.

Essay Topic 2

Think about the trio of Lewis, Uncle Jonathan, and Mrs. Zimmerman. Who are their characters individually and how do they work together as a complete whole in the novel? As Lewis has recently lost his family, how do the residents of Barnavelt’s Folly create a new family dynamic? Write three pages with four textual examples.

Essay Topic 3

How is suspense and fear built in the novel? Consider the structure of the events of the novel in pages, chapters, and as a whole as well as the language used in each of these events. Write three pages with at least four textual examples.

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