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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. Who is the first speaker in Section 7?

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

4. In the beginning of Section 5, what state does Woolf describe the sun as being in?

5. What about her life is Jinny bemoaning when she begins her monologue in Section 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how Louis appears in Section 6.

2. Which image becomes more dominant in Section 8's introductory vignette, and what do you think it signifies?

3. Characterize Neville's state of mind as he appears at the end of Section 6.

4. Why doesn't Percival's death have a strong effect on Bernard in Section 5?

5. What are the characters doing at the beginning of Section 8, and why is that important?

6. What is different about Susan in Section 7?

7. What in particular separates Section 7 from the prior two sections, and why is that significant?

8. Describe how Susan appears in Section 6.

9. What do the characters do after they leave the restaurant in Section 8, and what happens then?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay that details the significance of setting in this novel. We are exposed to both the country and the city, the classroom and the church, and spend a fair amount of time in cafés and restaurants. The setting in the introductory vignettes are also of particular significance. Examine the discrepancies in descriptions of settings between the monologues and the vignettes, and evaluate who, if any, of the characters have a particular fascination with setting.

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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