View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What author does Werther enjoy reading?

2. Whom does Werther mourn in his letter of May 17?

3. Whom does Werther find in the square of the town Werther has come to love?

4. What does Werther think of Albert?

5. How does the main character describe the person with whom he must conduct his business?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Werther promise the person to whom he writes this letter?

2. To what does Werther compare Lotte's influence on him in the letter of July 26, and what the effects of her influence upon him?

3. What event has incited Werther to leave his friends, and how does he view this event?

4. What is Werther's opinion of his aunt?

5. What activities does Werther engage in now that he is away from his friends and in a new town?

6. What does Werther mourn in the letter of May 17, 1771?

7. Who does Werther meet while sitting on a plow in Wahlheim's town square, and what is the substance of their various interactions with Werther?

8. To what type of people does Werther compare those who he thinks are happiest in life, and what is his reasoning for this comparison?

9. How does Werther describe the town of Wahlheim?

10. What "worthy man" has Werther gotten to know, and where does he live?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role of Ossian in the novel. Who is Ossian (both ostensibly and actually), and why does Werther place him in such high regard? What effect does reading Ossian have on Werther? How does he relate to the work and its contents? Offer a close-reading of the fragment of Ossian the Editor quotes. Carefully analyze this portion of the text. Pay close attention to word choice, setting, imagery, figurative or metaphorical language, references, and the tone of the passages. How do you interpret this passage based on a close study of the connotations of all of these aspects of the text? What is its overall effect upon the reader? How do you feel this passage relates to Werther's own story, feelings and thoughts? Why might this passage and the subsequent ones which reflect on Colma's situation affect Werther and Lotte so profoundly? How might the voices of Ryno, Alpin, and the narrator of the fragment be interpreted by Werther and Lotte to be the voices of Werther's nearest and dearest friends and acquaintances?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the symbolism and importance of clothing in the novel. Focus on the letters of July 8, 1771; August 28, 1771; and September 6, 1772. What articles of clothing does Werther have a disproportionate focus on? What might these articles of clothing symbolize, for Werther as well as for the reader? How does Goethe use them as talismans in the novel--what power do they have? Additionally, what do these articles of clothing conceal, or what might they stand in for?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Albert and Werther. Consider their personalities, the tone in which they speak, and general character development. Although they appear to be polar opposites, are there any ways in which they are similar? Closely analyze the letter of August 12, 1771, in which the two men speak on the subject of suicide and other crimes. What does this letter reveal about their characters, personalities, values and views? What about each man attracts Lotte to him?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample