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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. Who says, "I am one person--myself"?

2. What word does Louis use to characterize himself in Section 3?

3. How does Rhoda characterize herself at the end of Section 3?

4. Who refers to "sudden kisses" as a "crudity"?

5. Who repeats variations of the phrase, "I will gather my flowers and present them--Oh! to whom?"

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how each character is presented in Section 1.

2. Which of the boys seems to have the strongest attachment to Percival? Please provide some evidence in your answer.

3. Describe how Section 2 is structured.

4. Bernard is clearly becoming the most central of the six characters. Describe his characteristics as he appears in Section 3.

5. When the characters change locations in the text, it is not always noticeable. Identify why this is and the effect on the reader.

6. Why does Woolf use a line or two of monologue rather than dialogue to introduce the children in Section 1?

7. Overall, what should the reader take away as most significant from Section 1?

8. Describe the way Section 3's introduction, the italicized vignette, fits in with the rest of Section 3 as a whole.

9. Why is it relevant that Bernard is the first speaker in Section 4?

10. Describe the attitude of the characters towards each other prior to Percival's arrival in Section 4.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay which compares and contrasts any two of the sections' introductory vignettes. Pick one vignette which is typical of the whole novel, and one which is atypical (there are two in particular). What separates these vignettes? Include as many reasons as you can think of as to why Woolf would change her method at such a point in the text.

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate the novel's final image. It is an appropriate one? What is the significance of both the waves as they appear in these vignettes, and as a title? Are there other instances of waves appearing in this novel, rather than in their literal form? There are many instances where a character's interior monologue describes something as being wave-like. Does the novel structurally parallel waves?

Essay Topic 3

For a novel that features characters who think so much about self-determination and identity, what does Woolf ultimately say about the quest for self-knowledge? Develop an argument that includes plenty of textual evidence to support your belief.

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