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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 medical instrument does Dr. Slop show Toby?

2. What concern does Walter Shandy express about his son's birth in Volume 2?

3. What type of handkerchief does Walter Shandy use in Volume 3?

4. How long does Toby take to recover from his injury?

5. Who is Slawkenburguis?

Short Essay Questions

1. With what hobby is Toby Shandy obsessed?

2. How does Yorick assist the midwife?

3. Why does Obidiah ride to Dr. Slop's residence twice?

4. What is Slawkenburguis' story?

5. How does Walter Shandy react to Tristram's deformity?

6. Describe Walter Shandy.

7. Why does Tristram's mother give birth in the country?

8. How is Tristram's face deformed?

9. Describe Yorick.

10. What concerns does Walter Shandy have about Dr. Slop's medical abilities?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What impact does superficial and self-serving behavior have on the characters in the novel? Do any of the characters demonstrate growth or emotional development? What point might Sterne be making about human behavior?

Essay Topic 2

Why might Sterne have had so many of his characters injured in the novel? How is Tristram's birth injury related to the injury of other characters? What injures do other characters suffer and how do these injuries express the themes of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What views are expressed about "modern" (as in the current 18th century practices) medicine as compared to folk medicine in the novel? How does the midwife's practical experience compare to the doctor's formal medical training? What concerns are raised about each character's medical abilities and how are these concerns addressed in the novel?

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