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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 does Strether notices when he enters Sarah Pocock's apartment in Chapter 9?

2. What does Strether notice about Madame de Vionnet during their last meeting?

3. What does Miss Gostrey ask Strether in Book 7?

4. What des Strether learn that Chad told Sarah?

5. What does Strether suggest to Bilham in Book 10?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which new characters arrive in Paris in Book 8?

2. What opinion does Mamie Pocock give Strether about Madame de Vionnet in Book 9?

3. Where is Strether's last visit in Paris?

4. Who helped to arrange the new marriage announced in Book 9?

5. How many times as Strether written to Miss Gostrey during her absence?

6. Whom does Strether visit at the beginning of Book 9?

7. What artist's painting does the scenery outside Paris remind Strether of?

8. Whom does Strether encounter at the Cheval Blanc?

9. In Book 11, when does Chad tell Strether he was ready to go back to America?

10. What is the couple whom Strether finds at the Cheval Blanc doing when he first sees them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you examine James' psychological portrayal of his characters. Is it possible always to know what James' characters are thinking? Do certain characters' views surprise the reader? Are the thoughts of the characters of greater interest to the writer than the action of the plot? Examine the psychological complexity of the novel's characters, and argue whether you think The Ambassadors is a psychological novel.

Essay Topic 2

Though the narration is third-person, the reader experiences much of the action through the point of view of Lambert Strether. Write an essay in which you argue whether this third-person narration is reliable or limited. Use evidence from the text to justify your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you discuss how Strether's self-confidence shifts throughout the novel. In your essay, consider how Strether's changes in perception and acquaintances affect this change.

(see the answer keys)

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