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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 member of the Lapham family refuses to attend the Coreys' dinner party?
2. What subject does Persis urgently need to discuss with Silas in Chapter Eighteen?
3. To where does Silas Lapham take his wife and daughter in Chapter Twenty Two to cheer them all up?
4. Which of the following statements is not a way Tom Corey describes the Lapham girls to his mother?
5. Which of the following statements is not something Tom Corey is told about Lapham's paint business in Chapter Twenty One?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is Persis Lapham's reaction to Tom Corey's revelation when Penelope shares it with her?
2. What moral dilemma does Silas Lapham have over Rogers's proposed business deal?
3. What business proposal does Silas Lapham discuss with James Bellingham in Chapter Twenty Five, and what counter suggestion does Bellingham make?
4. What is Tom Corey's reaction when he learns that the Laphams have believed he prefers Irene to Penelope?
5. Describe the Civil War experiences Silas Lapham relates to the other guests at the Coreys' dinner party.
6. Why do the Coreys decide to invite the Laphams to dinner if they don't really like them?
7. What is the reaction of Bromfield and Anna Corey to the news that their son loves Penelope rather than Irene Lapham?
8. Describe Silas Lapham's interactions with Zerrilla Dewey and her mother, Moll Millon, in Chapter Twenty Three.
9. Describe Anna Corey's visit to the Lapham home in Chapter Twelve.
10. What opinion does Anna Corey form of Penelope Lapham during her visit with Persis and Penelope?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss the themes of self help and self sufficiency in The Rise of Silas Lapham. Which character or characters illustrate these themes? What does the author seem to be saying about these themes in the novel? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.
Essay Topic 2
Silas Lapham is the protagonist of the story, and Rogers is the antagonist of the story. Compare and contrast the characters of Lapham and Rogers. In what ways is Rogers a foil character for Lapham? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.
Essay Topic 3
The Rise of Silas Lapham takes place in Boston in the 1880s, during America's Gilded Age, and is the story of a self-made family's attempt to enter Boston's Brahmin society. The characters live through the Civil War and see the rise of enormous industry and enormous wealth in the post-war era. Discuss how the cultural, geographical, and chronological settings affect the story and how the characters and story might differ if William Dean Howells had set the novel in England during the 1680s or in Los Angeles during the 1980s instead. Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.
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This section contains 1,102 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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