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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. What does Mrs. Ramsay think she could have managed better in her 50 years?

2. Why does Mrs. Ramsay think it is a good idea for her husband to spend time at the summerhouse?

3. What does Lily see the Ramsay's as a symbol of?

4. How does Mrs. Ramsay quiet the children down, so they can sleep?

5. Why has Mr. Tansley never been to the circus?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Mr. Carmichael's opinion of Lily when she refuses to give Mr. Ramsay the sympathy he is looking for?

2. Why doesn't Mrs. Ramsay allow her daughters to mock the atheist, Mr. Tansley?

3. Summarize the description Mrs. Ramsay gives of her husband's self-esteem?

4. How does Mrs. McNabb manage to get the house in order after she receives word that the Ramsay's are coming for the summer?

5. Describe the outcome of the marriage between Minta and Paul as Lily depicts it.

6. Explain the comparison Lily Biscoe makes between Mr. Ramsay and William Bankes.

7. How does Lily Briscoe envision Mrs. Ramsay after she screams out Mrs. Ramsay's name in grief?

8. Summarize Andrew's description of Minta.

9. As Mrs. Ramsay gives the maids instructions during dinner, what is Mr. Bankes thinking?

10. Describe the scene as Mr. Bankes, Prue, Andrew, and Lily turn off the lights before going to bed.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Lighthouse is one of the main constants throughout the novel. It is mentioned in all three parts of the story.

1) Explain the three different images Woolf gives of the lighthouse as the book progresses.

2) What is the significance of the lighthouse in each part of the novel?

3) What meaning does the lighthouse have for Mrs. Ramsay, James, Lily Briscoe, and Mr. Ramsay?

Essay Topic 2

1) Interpret the feelings Paul and Minta have for each other in the first part of the novel when they are at the beach.

2) Are their emotions authentic?

3) Are they truthful with each other?

4) Compare these emotions with how they interact later in the novel, after they are married. What regrets do they have at the end of the novel with regard to their relationship?

5) How does their relationship differ from the first part of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

1) Analyze the relationship between James and his sister, Cam, at the end of the novel.

2) What is the pact they make with one another, and how does it affect the voyage to the Lighthouse?

3) How do their feelings change during the trip to the lighthouse?

(see the answer keys)

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