View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Merricat say she cannot go anymore in Chapter 10?

2. What does Julian fret about while the house is burning?

3. What stopped Merricat's mother from going to the summer house?

4. In which room does Constance find nothing has been destroyed?

5. To what does Merricat compare her house, now that it is burned and damaged?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the villagers act while the Blackwoods' house is burning? What does Charles do while the house is burning?

2. What does Merricat do in order to get Charles to leave her house?

3. What is Helen Clarke's goal when she comes by the house in Chapter 9?

4. What does Merricat notice is different when she returns home in Chapter 8?

5. In Chapter 6, how does Merricat describe the way Charles has taken over her house?

6. What finally gets the villagers to leave the Blackwoods' property?

7. What do the girls decide to do in honor of Uncle Julian in Chapter 9?

8. How does Charles show his greediness in Chapter 6?

9. What does Charles say which causes Merricat to run away in Chapter 7?

10. What does Charles discover hidden in Chapter 7? How does Merricat think he found it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the horror genre and the elements of that genre which can be found in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle."

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and interpret Jackson's use of ambiguity. What are some examples of ambiguity in the novel? What might the meaning be behind these examples of ambiguity?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and interpret the antagonist of the novel "We Have Always Lived in the Castle." Who is the antagonist? Is there more than one antagonist? How do these characters affect the protagonist?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,045 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample