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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 one thing Alexandra points out to Jordan about them?

2. What does Alexandra think of Hawthorne?

3. How many people attend Jordan and Alexandra's wedding?

4. What does Alexandra do after she recovers from her fall off her horse.

5. What does Sir Roderick Carstairs think of Elizabeth's behavior?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Alexandra tell Jordan when she is finally able to speak with him?

2. How does Alexandra reveal her innocence and naivete at the inn the first night that the newly wedded couple stop?

3. What surprises the Dowager about Alexandra, and what is Jordan's response?

4. What happens to Jordan when he leaves the Fair Winds to buy cigars and what does Alexandra do??

5. What does Mrs. Lawrence say in reply to Jordan's assertion that he is an honorable man?

6. What does Jordan see when he looks out the window after being in bed with Lady Catherine Harrington?

7. What does Alexandra immediately ask when the party arrives at Hawthorne and how does she occupy her time at Hawthorne?

8. What does Jordan say to Lady Catherine about what he just saw and what is her reply?

9. What does Jordan's family learn about his whereabouts on the third day of waiting for news?

10. How does Alexandra try to comfort the Dowager Duchess?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Most protagonists are a mixture of admirable traits and character flaws, and Jordan and Alexandra are no exceptions. Discuss the following:

1. Trace and analyze situations when Jordan demonstrates his admirable qualities. Give specific examples to illustrate your analysis. Compare those to situations where he demonstrates his less-than-admirable traits.

2. Trace and analyze situations when Alexandra demonstrates her admirable qualities. Give specific examples to illustrate your analysis. Compare those to situations where she demonstrates her less-than-admirable traits.

3. Trace and analyze situation where two secondary characters demonstrates their admirable qualities. Give specific examples to illustrate your analysis. Compare those to situations where they demonstrates their less-than-admirable traits.

Essay Topic 2

Something Wonderful is an historical romance. Discuss the following:

1. Define the word "genre" in the context of literary criticism.

2. Why do you think fiction is categorized by genre?

3. Does it help to know how a book is categorized as to its genre before reading it? Explain.

4. Modern historical romance is often considered inferior to what are considered "the classics." Why do you think this is so? Do you believe a book such as Something Wonderful is inferior to something such as A Tale of Two Cities? Explain.

5. What is your favorite genre and why.

Essay Topic 3

Often titles reveal much about one or more aspects of a novel. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think is the purpose of a title? How closely related to a major theme(s) of a book do you think a title should be? Or should it be?

2. The phrase "Something Wonderful" appears several times in the book. Discuss that theme and how it is related to the title.

3. If you were the writer of Something Wonderful and your editor says the title must be changed, what would you choose? Why?

4. How do you feel when you have finished reading a book and you still do not understand the meaning of the title in relation to the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,187 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample