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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. A novel that does not include an aspect of time is _____________.

2. Birth and death are the what of the five facts of human life?

3. Novelists unintentionally make their characters overly sensitive to what?

4. Who is the first hypothetical person to whom Forster poses the question, "What does a novel do?"

5. Forster surmises that the character Moll was born out the author's experience in _____________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Forster's definition of a pseudo-scholar?

2. What is one of the reasons that love is "unduly prominent" in novels, according to Forster?

3. What does Forster demonstrate with the first sentence of The Antiquary by Sir Walter Scott?

4. Why are flat characters sometimes referred to as humorous characters?

5. What does Forster mean when he says that novels give us the "illusion of perspicacity"?

6. According to Forster, what does a good novel do?

7. What does Forster believe to be the flaws in Sir Walter Scott's writing?

8. According to Forster, what is the purpose of food in fiction?

9. What does Forster believe is part of the genius of Dickens' characters?

10. What are the two sides of a human being as described by the French critic Alain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is Forster's exploration of the aspects of fantasy and prophecy at the core of his overall philosophy on the novel? What is the fine line between these two aspects?

Essay Topic 2

Forster concludes his lecture series by tentatively speculating on the future of the novel. How has the novel changed since 1927? How are Forster's seven aspects still relevant to modern literature?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the six authors Forster quotes to illustrate the futility of studying works of literature in terms of chronology.

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