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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. Why don't the fireworks go off at the end of the agricultural fair?

2. Charles and Emma's relationship grows as they are alone one day discussing what?

3. What event causes the delay of the "Hirondelle" and also marks the loss of Emma's last remaining confidante?

4. What is the name of the town clerk who boards with the Homais family and is incredibly bored with the provincial life in Yonville?

5. The novel begins with a description of this character's experience in school. Who is this character?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Charles' action in Part 2: Chapter 11 irrevocably change the nature of his relationship with Emma?

2. What character types do the animals at the fair symbolize in Chapter 2: Part 8?

3. In Part 2: Chapter 2 Emma reflects on each of the 4 different beds she has slept on in her life. How does each of these beds represent an important stage in her development as a character?

4. By Part 3: Chapter 4, has Léon become a better person or a worse person since beginning his affair with Emma?

5. Charles continually sacrifices to make his wife happy. Do you think this shows true selflessness or foolishness?

6. Why does Emma allow herself to be so easily persuaded by Lhereux in Part 3: Chapter 2?

7. Describe the beggar's appearance in Part 3: Chapter 5.

8. Why do you think Emma begins charity work and rediscovers religious faith in Part 2: Chapter 14?

9. Why do people begin to suspect in Part 2: Chapter 4 that Léon and Emma might have affections for one another?

10. How are the other people attending the opera described in Part 2: Chapter 15?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Two times in the novel Emma contemplates suicide, and is successful in the second case. Why do you think she felt that she had no other options? What clues in her personality and behavior revealed that suicide would be an option to her?

Essay Topic 2

Charles, Rodolphe, and Léon embody three very different types of man, all of whom play into Emma's needs in some way. Describe each of Emma's partners and what she initially finds attractive about them. What is it about each of them that she finds irritating or banal? Can you see any similarities in the three?

Essay Topic 3

The idea of "provincial living" is often critiqued by Emma. She feels constrained by both her life in Tostes and in Yonville. Describe what specifically distresses her about the provincial life. What do other characters in the novel seem to like about it?

(see the answer keys)

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