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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 Lily realize when she discovers that Mrs. Trenor is actually at Bellomont?

2. What does the note that Lily finds next to her bedside from Lawrence Selden say ?

3. Why must Lily comply with Mrs. Trenor's request in book 1, chapter 4?

4. In book 1, chapter 6, how is Lily able to spend Sunday afternoon with Lawrence Selden rather than Percy Gryce?

5. Why does Lily go to Gerty Farish's apartment after her confrontation with Gus Trenor at his house?

Short Essay Questions

1. In book 1, chapter 1, what is the reason for Lily's reaction to Lawrence Selden's suggestion that they have tea at the popular cafe as Lily waits for her train?

2. Explain the attitudes of Lily's family members in relation to her social standing and inheritance from her aunt.

3. In book 1, chapter 11, what does Grace Stepney tell her aunt about Lily?

4. What will Lily's marriage to Simon Rosedale mean to Lily's self-perception?

5. Explain Lily's reaction to Nettie Struther's living conditions.

6. Even though Lily is in love with Lawrence Selden,why does she fight her feelings for him?

7. Why does Mrs. Haffen, Lawrence Selden's cleaning lady, think that Lily would want the letters she found while cleaning Lawrence Selden's apartment?

8. In book 2, chapter 9, how does Lawrence Selden react when Lily reprimands him for not visiting her sooner than he did?

9. At lunch in Monte Carlo, Carry Fischer tells Lawrence Selden that a prince was about to propose to Lily, and then Lily started flirting with his stepson. What incident from book 1 is this situation similar to regarding Lawrence Selden?

10. In book 2, chapter 3, how does Lily show her characteristic poor judgment in her friendship with men, namely George Dorset?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Name the characters - other than the main character - that are important to the story. Why is each character important? What does each character represent in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Lily had relationships with many characters, both male and female, throughout The House of Mirth. Choose one of Lily's relationships with a male character and one relationship with a female character and explain how each of these relationships changes as the story progresses.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the following statement: The only difference between a falsehood and a truth is whom people choose to believe.

1) Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

2) Give examples from The House of Mirth that prove or disprove this statement.

(see the answer keys)

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