View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Of Books," why does Montaigne quote other writers?
(a) To include love poetry for his most important reader, his wife.
(b) To show how inferior other authors' works are to his own.
(c) To further expand upon points he is making.
(d) To provide fanciful stories that break up the monotony of the personal essay.

2. Which place did Charles Lamb occupy amongst his siblings?
(a) He was the eldest.
(b) He was an only child.
(c) He was the middle child.
(d) He was the youngest.

3. How did Montaigne's father treat Montaigne?
(a) He abandoned him, and Montaigne was raised by his grandparents mostly.
(b) He forced him to work in a linen factory at age 8.
(c) He indulged and spoiled him.
(d) He whipped him cruelly for minor offenses.

4. What is Montaigne's view on quoting and crediting other authors?
(a) Montaigne quotes others' works, but he frequently confuses the author or mangles the original quotation.
(b) Montaigne relies upon other authors' works, and quotes them regularly.
(c) Montaigne feels it is a weakness to quote others; one's work should be the product of original thought.
(d) Montaigne plagiarizes large portions of his essays, and does not credit the original author.

5. At which university did Abraham Cowley study?
(a) Harvard.
(b) Oxford.
(c) The University of Paris.
(d) Cambridge.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who wrote "On the Pleasure of Hating"?

2. What is wrong with the child in "Of A Monstrous Child?"

3. In Montaigne's "On Some Verses..." essay, what opinion does he express about the sexes?

4. Beyond the Monstrous Child, who else is discussed in "Of a Monstrous Child?"

5. Which of the following is NOT a feature of Charles Lamb's writing?

Short Essay Questions

1. As expressed in "On Some Verses of Virgil," what does Montaigne have to say about the nature of the sexes?

2. What is the tone of Joseph Addison's "Nicolini and the Lions?" What details of the story account for this tone?

3. What personal details are included in Seneca's "Asthma"?

4. Provide some biographical information on Plutarch? What was his contribution to world literature?

5. Why is Samuel Johnson famous? What kind of essays did he write?

6. What accounts for Maria Edgeworth's nontraditional views of male/female relationships? How are these views represented in "An Essay on the Noble Science of Self-Justification"?

7. To what extent were Charles Lamb's personal essays influenced by his family background? Describe that family background.

8. Describe the "monstrous child" Montaigne speaks of in "Of a Monstrous Child."

9. What is the subject of Richard Steele's "Twenty-four Hours in London"? What point does Steele make in the story?

10. What is the subject of "Pleasure Boat Studio?"

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,140 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample