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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. How is Mr. Bankes enjoying the dinner party?

2. Why does Mr. Ramsay become annoyed with Mrs. Ramsay, thinking he will go off alone?

3. How does Nancy feel when she sees Paul and Minta kissing?

4. What is Lily's opinion of Mr. Ramsay?

5. Which of her children does Mrs. Ramsay want to stay young?

Short Essay Questions

1. Lily wants to wake up Mr. Carmichael and talk to him about all the questions she has of life, death, and even Mrs. Ramsay. Why does she decide against waking him?

2. Summarize the conversation between Mr. Bankes and Lily Briscoe as they are strolling together.

3. Describe the Ramsay's summerhouse now that Mrs. Ramsay has died.

4. How does Lily describe the Ramsay's married life?

5. How does Lily Briscoe justify being a single woman?

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

7. What does Paul vow to do after Minta loses her grandmother's brooch?

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

9. Cam resists her father's attempt at making her smile. What does she remember about her father as she tries to remain true to the pact she makes with James to resist Mr. Ramsay?

10. How does Lily Briscoe interpret William Bankes' feelings for Mrs. Ramsay?

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 relationship between James and his mother, Mrs. Ramsay.

2) How does Mr. Ramsay affect James' and his mother's relationship?

3) What does Mrs. Ramsay wish for James' future?

4) How does James feel about his mother at the end of the novel?

5) Give examples from the story of how they interact with one another.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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