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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 is Mrs. Ramsay bringing to the Lighthouse for the keeper's ailing son?

2. Why does Mrs. Ramsay want Lily to get married?

3. How does Mrs. Ramsay try to lift James' spirits after his father's negative comments

4. What does Mrs. Ramsay do when she sees her husband looking at her?

5. How does Mr. Ramsay react to being seen reciting poetry by Lily and Mr. Bankes?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the state of mind of the family and guests of Mrs. Ramsay as dinner comes to an end?

2. Why does James consider taking a knife and stabbing his father through the heart?

3. Why does Mr. Ramsay interrupt James and his wife as they read a book?

4. What does Lily contemplate about the dead as she thinks about what she would have told Mrs. Ramsay about the Rayley's relationship?

5. What are James' thoughts about his father when Mr. Ramsay predicts that the weather will not be good enough for the trip to the lighthouse?

6. Why does Mr. Ramsay think he cannot talk to his wife as she sits in the chair knitting after James goes to bed?

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

8. What are the two events that are finished in the final chapter of the book?

9. What message does the sea give to Lily Briscoe as she lies down to sleep after returning to the summerhouse?

10. What does James remember while he sits in the stillness of the boat on the way to the Lighthouse?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Mrs. Ramsay feels James will always remember the disappointment of not going to the lighthouse.

2) When does James remember that day?

3) Where is he when he remembers and what is is he doing?

4) What kind of an emotional impact does the memory have on him?

Essay Topic 2

1) Evaluate the elements of cause and effect in this story using examples from the novel.

2) Choose three events from the story which cause Mr. Ramsay's life to undergo a change.

3) How does he react to the events and their effects?

4) How does he grow emotionally in his own life and in his attitude toward his children because of these changes?

Essay Topic 3

1) What is the message Woolf is trying to convey about life in the novel?

2) Does she depict a realistic and relevant view of human nature through the Ramsay family and friends?

3) Are the human qualities of each character true to life? Explain.

4) How do the characters convey the everyday struggles of life?

(see the answer keys)

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