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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 do Bernard and Rhoda assert Percival was in love with?

2. What are the characters doing as their monologues progress in Section 8?

3. What is the dominant feature of the monologues during the middle of Section 8?

4. What does Bernard seem to be struggling to do during his final monologue of Section 8?

5. What does Neville conclude at the end of his Section 6 monologue?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Section 6's opening description distinct, and what should the reader expect from the rest of the section?

2. The first thing the reader learns in Section 5 is that Percival has died. How did he die, and who does it seem to have the strongest effect on?

3. Why is it significant that Bernard is not the first speaker in Section 5?

4. How does the structure of Section 5 parallel the development of the characters?

5. In Section 6, we encounter the three character who were omitted from the previous section. Describe their places in life at this point.

6. Describe how Jinny appears in Section 6.

7. Describe how the characters feel during the dinner they share in Section 8.

8. Characterize the way Bernard appears in Section 5.

9. Why does Bernard travel to Rome in Section 7?

10. What is significant about how Rhoda appears in Section 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a detailed essay, outline the role Rhoda plays in the group. Is she a kind of tragic hero? What is the source or her paralysis and misanthropy? Fully describe this character using ample textual evidence.

Essay Topic 2

Two characters die in this text, Rhoda and Percival, and there are at least two births, to Susan and Bernard. Evaluate the significance of the death of these two characters.

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate the success or failure of Woolf's writing style in this novel. The use of intertwining monologues is clearly the most significant decision Woolf made when preparing to write this text, but it is now your turn to critique whether or not the style is effective. If the characters are always speaking, why doesn't Woolf compose a play? Why do some characters have their monologues featured, while other monologues are easy to glaze over while reading? Does Woolf succeed in creating a cohesive consciousness out of these six voices? If so, where do you find it at its most effective in the text, and if not, then what does Woolf succeed in creating with this stylistic method?

(see the answer keys)

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