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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. In the wake of the tragedy, what is Charlotte and Ottilie's relationship with each other like?

2. What building does the architect persuade Charlotte to restore?

3. Which representation of an artistic work results in the most applause for Luciane?

4. What proposition does Eduard make to the Major?

5. What is the general substance of Ottilie's second journal entry?

Short Essay Questions

1. What foreign visitor comes to the estate, and how do his views impact Charlotte and Ottilie?

2. Describe the circumstances of Ottilie's death.

3. What is problematic about Luciane's interactions with other people, and what is one example of this?

4. What is the general substance of Ottilie's fourth journal entry?

5. Where does Eduard go to meet Ottilie, and what are the circumstances of their meeting?

6. Which of Luciane's experiments in "moral regeneration" goes wrong, which Charlotte hears about after Luciane leaves the estate?

7. Summarize the reason for the solicitor's visit to Charlotte, which is related at the beginning of Part II.

8. How does Charlotte respond to the tragedy involving Ottilie and Otto?

9. What does Eduard plan with the Major regarding their relationships with Charlotte and Ottilie?

10. What is the general substance of Ottilie's first journal entry, at the end of Part II, Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose three symbolic objects, characters, places, or events in the novel and discuss their significance to the plot, character development, thematic evolution, and the narrative as a whole. Some examples of symbolism include: Ottilie's miniature portrait of her father; the crystal goblet engraved with "EO;" the moss hut and pavilion; the various celebrations for characters' birthdays; Eduard's decision to rejoin the military; the events at Otto's baptism; Ottilie's Moroccan chest; the fireworks at the lake; the relationship between the Count and the Baroness; the contract; the restoration of the chapel; Otto's death; Charlotte's changes to the burial grounds in the churchyard; and so on. What do your selected symbols mean for the characters in the novel and do they differ from how you the reader interpret them in your analysis of the narrative as a whole?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Eduard and the Captain (later the Major). What is the relationship between the two men and does this relationship change over the course of the novel? How are their characters similar, and how do they differ? What informs each man's thoughts, feelings, and decisions? How does each man react to his own desires, and to adversity? Does the narrator describe each man and his respective feelings, thoughts, and actions in any particular way that offers insights or critiques into his character?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss at least two specific situations in the novel (these could be events, individual characters' reflections and thoughts, discussions between characters, or instances in which something symbolic is introduced by the narrator or a character) in which the themes of marriage, love, fidelity, passion, and/or adultery play a significant role. What differing views are provided of the institution of marriage (whether traditional, cultural, religious, or personal), and which characters express which views? How does the nature and origin of Charlotte and Eduard's marriage influence the development of the novel's plot? How are each main character's views on marriage significant to the development of the plot, of each character, and of the themes of marriage, fidelity, love, passion, and adultery?

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