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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. In the letter of July 6, to what does Werther compare a child washing her hands?

2. What subject do Albert and Werther discuss so heatedly in the letter of August 12?

3. In the letter of July 26, what does Werther often determine to do, but fails?

4. How does the main character describe the town in which he resides as of the first letter?

5. What is the name of the person to whom Werther writes his letters?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the substance of Werther's conversation with the farmer-boy in the town square of Wahlheim?

2. To what type of people does Werther compare those who he thinks are happiest in life, and what is his reasoning for this comparison?

3. What does Werther find appealing about being away from his friends and in a new town?

4. What does Werther promise the person to whom he writes this letter?

5. What does Werther ask his friend Wilhelm not to do, and why?

6. What is the substance of Werther and Albert's conversation, as Werther relates it in the letter of August 12?

7. What activities does Werther engage in now that he is away from his friends and in a new town?

8. To what does Werther compare Lotte's influence on him in the letter of July 26, and what the effects of her influence upon him?

9. What specific space, which Werther found in his explorations of the town, does he find pleasurable?

10. What is the substance of the conversation between Werther and his companions at the vicar's home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role of Ossian in the novel. Who is Ossian (both ostensibly and actually), and why does Werther place him in such high regard? What effect does reading Ossian have on Werther? How does he relate to the work and its contents? Offer a close-reading of the fragment of Ossian the Editor quotes. Carefully analyze this portion of the text. Pay close attention to word choice, setting, imagery, figurative or metaphorical language, references, and the tone of the passages. How do you interpret this passage based on a close study of the connotations of all of these aspects of the text? What is its overall effect upon the reader? How do you feel this passage relates to Werther's own story, feelings and thoughts? Why might this passage and the subsequent ones which reflect on Colma's situation affect Werther and Lotte so profoundly? How might the voices of Ryno, Alpin, and the narrator of the fragment be interpreted by Werther and Lotte to be the voices of Werther's nearest and dearest friends and acquaintances?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Werther as a character. Focus not only on how he looks and acts, but also specifically on how he expresses his feelings and thoughts, how he fits or does not fit into society, his tone and personality, and the general development of his character. How does he begin the novel, and how does he end it? What are his relationships with others like, and what are they based upon? What is Werther's worldview? How does he view himself? What is his style of writing?

Essay Topic 3

Whenever Werther is near water, he is always near some form of running water, whether a spring or a raging torrent. Examine this theme of running water, and the symbolism of it relevant to the text. Why is Werther attracted to the stream, and to bodies of water in general? What kind of cultural or religious associations can we make with water? How does it affect Werther's mood, thoughts and feelings? Why might it be different or have a different set of effects than still water?

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