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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. At the beginning of Chapter Twenty Four, who tells Tom Corey how bad Silas Lapham's business troubles are?
2. When Silas Lapham meets with James Bellingham to discuss buying out another company, what does Bellingham suggest that Lapham do instead?
3. What architect is building the Laphams new house?
4. What is Silas Lapham's response when Persis asks him who Mrs. M is?
5. Which member of the Lapham family refuses to attend the Coreys' dinner party?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe how Silas Lapham confronts Milton Rogers in Chapter Twenty One and how Rogers responds to that confrontation.
2. Describe Silas Lapham's financial status at the end of Chapter Twenty One and how it compares to his financial status at the beginning of the novel?
3. Why do the Coreys decide to invite the Laphams to dinner if they don't really like them?
4. What revelation does Tom Corey make to Penelope Lapham in Chapter Sixteen and what is Penelope's surprising reaction to the news?
5. How do the Laphams react to the dinner invitation from the aristocratic Coreys?
6. What different opinions are expressed by the guests at the Coreys' dinner party about the novel Tears, Idle Tears?
7. What destroys Silas Lapham's new house and how does that situation add to Lapham's financial woes?
8. What is Persis Lapham's reaction to Tom Corey's revelation when Penelope shares it with her?
9. What new business proposition does Milton Rogers bring Silas Lapham in Chapter Twenty Five?
10. What moral dilemma does Silas Lapham have over Rogers's proposed business deal?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Discuss the mistaken romance of Irene and Tom Corey. What factors make Irene think Tom is interested in her? What factors make the Coreys and Laphams think Tom is interested in Irene? What factors indicate Tom is really interested in Penelope? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.
Essay Topic 2
Tears, Idle Tears is a novel that a number of characters, including Tom Corey and Penelope Lapham, read in the Rise of Silas Lapham. Discuss how the plot and characters of Tears, Idle Tears mirrors or parallels the course of Tom and Penelope's own romance. Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the character of Zerrilla Dewey and how she represents working class women in the Gilded Age. What theme do you think William Dean Howells is trying to convey about working class women and their role in society through the character of Zerrilla and her troubled marriage? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.
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This section contains 1,039 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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