View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How do the Feakes children manage to stay well during this winter?

2. What has happened to Anne Hutchinson?

3. What does Will discover when he visits Watertown?

4. What happens with the delivery of a letter from the Dutch Director-General?

5. Why are the Indians in the New Netherlands on the warpath?

Short Essay Questions

1. What spiritual experience does Bess have in Chapter 24?

2. How does Bess' life change dramatically for Bess in Chapter 16?

3. What surprising statement does the harsh John Winthrop make just prior to his death?

4. Where do Will, Bess and the children settle into a new home?

5. What happens when Will and Bess return to New Amsterdam in Chapter 23?

6. What does the letter from George Baxter represent to Bess?

7. What does Will discover when he visits Watertown one day?

8. What are some of the underlying reasons for the witchcraft hysteria running rampant in the colony?

9. Why are Bess and her family saved during an Indian attack on their home?

10. What does Bess do when she and Will are accused of adultery and are about to be parted forever?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does John Winthrop consent to the marriage between Harry and Bess? Does he think they are two-of-a-kind and deserve each other? Or is he forced into approving the marriage because Bess is pregnant? What other options would have been available to Bess at the time? Given what you know about Harry's lifestyle, what choice do you think Bess would have made if she had the options available to young women today?

Essay Topic 2

What is the purpose of the Robert Feake character in the novel? Why does the author introduce him shortly after Bess' marriage to Harry? Discuss the literary device of foreshadowing and whether Feake's appearance can be classified as foreshadowing or just an accident in the plot. Why does the author craft the story so that Bess will be anchored to the insane Feakes later on in the story? What does Feakes represent in Bess' life each time he appears?

Essay Topic 3

Bess had originally loved her cousin, Jack, at the beginning of the book yet she married his brother, Harry. Explain Bess' hesitancy to declare her true feelings for Jack when it could have made a difference. Why would Bess settle for Harry when she did not love him? Explain the impact of making important life decisions when a person is too immature or caught up in the excitement of a fleeting feeling. How would Bess' life had changed if she had voiced her love for Jack early in the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,096 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample