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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 does Flora send to Judith?

2. Who promises to secure invitations to the Hawk-Monitor's

3. What does the Starkadder tell Flora that is disconcerting?

4. How will the nest with four pink eggs help Elfine?

5. Where is Judith to go for the next six months?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Aunt Ada Doom want on the morning of Elfine's wedding and what might her request symbolize?

2. What does Flora give Elfine to help her and do you think it will?

3. How are Seth's life and Elfine's life similar?

4. What does Flora ask Aunt Ada Doom about Flora's father and what is the answer?

5. Describe Aunt Ada Doom's appearance and behavior in the downstairs when Flora and the others walk in after the ball.

6. Whose perspective does chapter 14 begin with and what may it portend?

7. What does Dr. Mudel suggest to "fix" Judith Starkadder and what do you think is Judith's fixation that is causing problems?

8. What actually produces an emotional response from Flora (as opposed to her usual practical nature) and how does Flora deal with the situation?

9. What is ironic about the scene with Urk and Miriam?

10. What does Harkaway tell Flora and what is her response?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wrapping it up: Though COLD COMFORT FARM is a parody of another type of genre, its characters are endearing and memorable and much of what happens to the characters is not entirely in the realm of improbability. Choose one of the following to discuss:

1. Discuss the tradition of storytelling and how it is used in this novel.

2. Each person in this novel, and in "real" life has his or her own "story." Choose three characters and briefly tell his or her "story" from a different perspective than that which is shown in the book.

3. Stories can be classified in various ways--"tall tales" are obviously not meant to be believed as having actually occurred. Factual stories supposedly tell something exactly as it truly happened. Many stories are a mixture of fact and fiction. Choose four of the stories in this book and analyze them as to their seeming veracity, their purpose, and how they add to the plot and major themes.

Essay Topic 2

Aunt Ada Doom may be the least likeable character in the novel--at least until the very end of the book. Discuss the following:

1. Fully analyze Aunt Ada Doom's character. Is she a sympathetic character? Likable? Believable?

2. Do you believe Aunt Ada Doom actually "saw something nasty in the woodshed"? Why or why not?

3. Do you believe Aunt Ada Doom is actually crazy? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 11, we first see the idea of the Pygmalion effect (or the Rosenthal effect). Discuss the following?

1. Who is Pygmalion in Greek Legend?

2. What is the Pygmalion effect (or sometimes called the Rosenthal effect)? What does this psychological phenomenon have to do with the Pygmalion of Greek myth?

3. Discuss Seth and Elfine and how the Pygmalion effect is relevant to their lives.

(see the answer keys)

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