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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 the tomb of Miss Hebron's ancestor made of?

2. What type of church does Birkin attend on Sunday evenings?

3. How does Birkin travel to Barton Ferry?

4. What does Birkin mistake for Alice in her bedroom when he passes the vicarage?

5. What does Alice leave Birkin the day she comes up the ladder and scares Birkin?

Short Essay Questions

1. What part of the painting does the painter leave unfilled? What are Birkin's speculation regarding this situation?

2. After the service in Barton Ferry, with whom does Birkin have tea? What does he see at their home that upsets him?

3. Why do Birkin and the Ellerbecks go to Ripon and are they successful in meeting their goal?

4. Who does Birkin run into in Ripon that is also in the war? What does this person tell Birkin about Moon?

5. Describe the portrayal of the man who Birkin thinks might be a portrait.

6. What does Birkin do when Alice is not in church? What conclusion does he come to regarding her whereabouts?

7. What is the source of Birkin's contentment in August in Oxgodby?

8. What is the relationship like between Birkin and his wife?

9. How does Moon respond when Birkin tells him that Keach has told him that he is finished with the painting?

10. Describe what Birkin and Moon see as they unearth the tomb of Miss Hebron's ancestor.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Birkin and Alice develop the metaphor of a puzzle for uncovering the painting. Write an essay examining this metaphor. What does it do for the novel? Do you think it is an apt metaphor? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Birkin falls in love with Alice, but is unable to act on his feelings. Write an essay examining the idea of love within the context of the novel. How is love defined? Which characters does love affect?

Essay Topic 3

The entire novel revolves around the work that Birkin is doing on the painting. Write an essay exploring the roles of the painting. Why is it so important? How does it affect the people that see it?

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