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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does Silas Lapham decide to build a new more fashionable home?
(a) On the beach.
(b) Downtown New York.
(c) His Back Bay property.
(d) In London.

2. How old is Silas Lapham in Chapter One?
(a) Twenty-two.
(b) Eighty.
(c) Fifty-five.
(d) Forty.

3. Where does Tom Corey visit his mother and sisters in Chapter Six?
(a) Bar Harbour.
(b) Florida.
(c) Philadelphia.
(d) Cape Cod.

4. In Chapter Nine, while Tom Corey discusses Middlemarch with her, with what does Irene seem engrossed?
(a) Trapping a pine shaving with the point of her parasol.
(b) Her new silk gown.
(c) Embroidering a cushion.
(d) Dusting a windowsill with her gloved fingers.

5. What subject does Tom avoid while talking with his mother in Chapter Eight?
(a) Penelope Lapham.
(b) Irene Lapham.
(c) Traveling to Europe.
(d) Working for a living.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Silas Lapham stay home the day after Bromfield Corey's visit in Chapter Eleven?

2. To how much does Persis Lapham limit her husband's spending on their new home?

3. When Tom Corey comes to the Lapham home for a second visit in Chapter Eleven, about whom does he ask Irene?

4. In Chapter Three, who do Silas and Persis Lapham run into while visiting the construction site of their new home?

5. To where does Silas Lapham want to take Bromfield Corey for a fish dinner?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Silas Lapham decide to build a new house?

2. What happens in Chapter Ten when Milton Rogers asks Silas Lapham for a loan, and how does Persis Lapham feel about the situation?

3. What kind of girl does Bromfield Corey think his son Tom should marry, and how do the Lapham girls compare to Bromfield's ideal daughter-in-law?

4. Why are the Laphams considered deficient in social graces?

5. Describe Lapham's financial situation in Chapter Nine.

6. Describe how Silas Lapham gets into the paint business.

7. Describe Bromfield Corey's life and how it differs from Silas Lapham's.

8. What business proposals does Tom Corey suggest to Silas Lapham?

9. What is Silas Lapham's relationship with Milton Rogers and what disagreement do Silas and Persis have over Lapham's dealings with Rogers?

10. What is Lapham's childhood and family background, and how does this background shape his values?

(see the answer keys)

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