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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. Who meets Tess and shows her around Tantridge?

2. Who does Tess overhear talking about Angel?

3. In Chapter 13, what does Tess discover?

4. What does Angel threaten to do if Tess still refuses his proposals?

5. In Chapter 12, what does Tess decide to do after she's been at the D'Urberville mansion for a few weeks?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 11, what happens between Alec and Tess?

2. Describe the scene concerning the accident with the horse. What does that show about Tess's character?

3. Describe what happens when Angel arrives back at Talbothays after visiting his parents.

4. What arguments does Angel give his parents to convince them that marrying Tess is a good idea?

5. What prompts Tess to leave the dance early, and what does this scene tell readers about her character?

6. What happens on the drive to Mrs. D'Uberville's home?

7. In Chapter 19, Hardy introduces another of the perceived road blocks to the relationship between Tess and Angel, from her point of view. What?

8. In Chapter 15, how does Hardy show that Tess is still suffering from depression and hopelessness?

9. In Chapter 5 Tess is pressured to approach the D'Urbervilles for money. What does this scene, and her response, show about her?

10. Angel receives different treatment from the Cricks than the other farm help does. How? Why does Hardy mention this in some detail?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Tess decides to go to Talbothays Dairy to work as a dairymaid, it is clear that she wants to get away from the past. But Hardy says that she is also partially motivated by "the invincible instinct towards self-delight." Discuss what he means by this, and whether you think it applies to Tess. Make sure you use concrete examples from the text to back up what you say.

Essay Topic 2

Tess names her baby Sorrow. What is the significance of this name? And what is implied by the scene in which Tess buries Sorrow in a corner of the churchyard reserved for the 'ungodly.' Is this the point at which Tess loses her religious faith?

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 47, Alec tells Tess that because she is the cause of his religious backsliding, she is obligated to marry him and share in his fate. What does he mean by this, and does his reasoning make any sense?

(see the answer keys)

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