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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 is Jopp's reaction to Henchard's curt behavior?

2. How does Susan feel about the choreographed courtship?

3. How does Elizabeth and Lucetta meet?

4. How do Susan and Elizabeth pay for their lodgings, despite their little income?

5. Susan writes a letter to Michael when on her deathbed. What does she request of him concerning this letter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Earlier in the book, Jopp is tersely introduced and forgotten when his management position is taken by Farfrae. Re-introduced years later in chapter 26, he is described as coming from the back slum and his clothing a sign of need. Unjustly fired, what role do you think Jopp plays in Henchard's life?

2. At first request, Michael is agreeable to let Elizabeth leave and gain independence. But when the time comes for her to leave, he gets angry and flustered at the idea. Why does Henchard react with such contradiction?

3. A raging bull attacks Lucetta and Elizabeth. Why does hardy use a bull? What symbolism do bulls represent?

4. Henchard becomes distraught and angry at the idea that Elizabeth is not his daughter. Out of pride, he does not tell her after the big deal he makes for her to change her name. How does Henchard express his feelings if not in telling her the truth?

5. How does Solomon Longways view the mayor?

6. When Susan begins her search for Michael, Hardy refers her as Mrs. Newson, for that is what she calls herself. However, in chapter nine, Hardy calls her Mrs. Henchard again for the first time. Why does Hardy return to her first marriage name? How does Susan feel about her role and position at this point?

7. Donald Farfrae is a stranger in Casterbridge, yet he decides to help Henchard. This is not a common act between strangers as seen by Henchard's surprise. What does this say about Farfrae's character? Does he really want something or is he really acting as a good Samaritan?

8. Before Michael discovers who Elizabeth's real father is, he wants her to legally change her name to Henchard. For whom does he want this? How does Michael regard Elizabeth's feelings in this matter? Is it for them as a relationship as purely for his selfish wants?

9. How does Michael Henchard feel when Susan leaves with the sailor?

10. When the furmity woman is shown as the defendant, Henchard notices something familiar but the thought flees his mind as quickly as it comes in. How does the furmity woman represent the sale of his wife twenty years ago? How does Henchard's reaction to the furmity woman represent how he feels about the transaction?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Michael Henchard notes, "It never rains, but it pours!" Although he refers to the events in his life; how does this also represent him as a person?

Essay Topic 2

Although there is resentment towards the upper class from the lower class, there is a sense of forgiveness amongst them. Why are the lower class so much more forgiving to one another? Why do the upper class lack this sense of unity within the class?

Essay Topic 3

When Susan dies, she is buried at the Roman grounds. Hardy describes the area as full of deceptive history that still haunts. Compare Susan's life before and after her death to the Roman grounds. How is Susan's life full of deception and how does it still haunt those that are living?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,646 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample