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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 story does the Judge tell Phoebe?

2. What has Hepzibah refused to accept?

3. What story does Hepzibah tell Phoebe?

4. What might have prevented the Pyncheons from losing their fortune?

5. What does Holgrave suggest about the Judge?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Judge try to do?

2. What do Hepzibah's feelings towards the Judge seem to be?

3. Describe some of the "eerie" qualities of the House.

4. Who built the House of the Seven Gables? Why is this ironic?

5. What tragedies soon afflicted the Pyncheon family?

6. Describe how Phoebe comes to stay at the House.

7. Describe Holgrave and Uncle Venner.

8. Describe the Puritan-era legal battle over the land the house sits on.

9. Who is Hepzibah Pyncheon and why does she run a shop out of the house?

10. Describe Phoebe's first visit to the garden.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hawthorne wrote The House of Seven Gables about a real house in Salem, Massachusetts--a town with a notorious history and strong ties to Hawthorne’s own past. Write an essay that explains why Salem’s history has a personal significance for Hawthorne, and why he chose to set his novel there.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring Hepzibah and Phoebe and their roles as women in their society. How do the expectations and customs of nineteenth century new England influence their options and choices? How do these factors influence the events of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Natural details in the novel play a small but noteworthy part in developing the setting and supporting the themes. Write an essay on the importance of natural elements, including the tree, the garden and the posies.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 850 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample