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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 color is the dress Florence Dowell wears on the night of her death?

2. Which best describes Florence Dowell's social views and behavior?

3. Where does John Dowell go after Florence dies?

4. What disease causes the death of Florence Dowell's uncle?

5. In Part 2, Chapter 2, John Dowell compares Florence Dowell to which of the following warriors:

Short Essay Questions

1. Have the Ashburnhams ever had physical or emotional affection for one another?

2. In Part 1, Chapter 3, John Dowell recalls one particular dress his wife Florence wore during their stay at Nauheim. Describe the dress and its significance.

3. Why does Leonora Ashburnham become upset when Florence Dowell points to the document by Martin Luther, touches Edward's wrist and says, "It's because of that piece of paper that you're honest, sober, industrious, provident, and clean-lived. If it weren't for that piece of paper you'd be like the Irish or the Italians or the Poles, but particularly the Irish" ?

4. How does Maisie Maidan die?

5. How do the personalities of Florence Dowell and Leonora Ashburnham differ?

6. Florence Dowell proposes that she and Captain Edward Ashburnham should divorce their spouses and move to California. Why would divorcing her husband and moving to California with Edward be a sacrifice for Florence Dowell?

7. In what way does John Dowell feel like an outsider?

8. Is it surprising that John Dowell, the narrator in Part 3, Chapter 1, tries to justify Captain Edward Ashburnham's relationship with Nancy Rufford?

9. Based on John Dowells narration in Chapter 1, Part 1, do you think The Good Soldier will end in resolution or in tragedy?

10. Describe the marriage between Leonora Ashburnham and Captain Edward Ashburnham.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What message does The Good Soldier send about the institution of marriage? Does the novel present a positive, negative, or indifferent view of marriage? Does Ford aim to leave the reader believing, like John Dowell, that marriage is a rotten apple and a prison?

Essay Topic 2

What is Leonora Ashburnham's motivation for keeping John Dowell in the dark about his wife's affair with Edward Ashburnham?

Essay Topic 3

Explore Ford's use of symbolism in The Good Soldier. In the essay, explain the significance of the following symbols:

1. The color blue.

2. The heart.

3. Leonora Ashburnham's bracelet.

(see the answer keys)

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