ANSWERS

TEST 1

1. A

2. A

3. C

4. B

5. B

6. C

7. A

8. B

9. A

10. B

11. Remember that more than one kind of love is important in the novel. There's romantic love. There's the love of God, expressed in its pure form by Helen Burns, and with more psychological complexity in the character of St. John Rivers. There's also self-love, or self-respect. Jane finds happiness only when she is able to reconcile all three. Finally, don't overlook the word search in the question. What actions does Jane undertake to further her search? How does her understanding of love change over time?

12. You could approach this question by discussing the characters who remind Jane of her duty at one time or another. How are these characters described? What influence does each one of them have over Jane? Don't neglect to talk about St. John. Why does he have such a strong influence over Jane for a time? And why does she conclude that it is not her duty to marry him?

You could also answer this question by discussing Jane Eyre's concept of marital duty. What are the duties that a wife owes a husband and vice versa? Do you believe Jane at the end when she denies that her marriage to Rochester has involved a sacrifice on her part?

13. Most readers agree that the character of Jane is realistic. She is poor, plain, friendless; and she has all the everyday problems that go with her situation as a governess. When a rich man falls in love with her, her troubles are by no means over. Other characters, too, are seen preoccupied with everyday pursuits-teaching school, learning German, baking pies, looking for rich husbands. Effectively or not, most are presented in terms of a balance of good and bad qualities.

Obvious elements of romanticism in the novel include the use of supernatural elements, the ongoing mystery of Bertha Mason, and the intensely personal point of view. Emphasis on the importance of the imagination, an interest in childhood experiences, and the search for independence and individual fulfillment are also characteristic of romanticism.

14. Here are some examples of narrative devices: overheard conversations; Jane's retellings of her own dreams; digressions in which Jane addresses the reader directly; stories told to Jane by other characters (such as the innkeeper's tale in Chapter 36); and the intellection of relevant quotations from books, poetry, and songs.

15. Here are a few examples: The very physical description of Thornfield (Chapter 11) with its stolid gray exterior and grove of "Mighty old thorn trees, strong, knotty and broad as oaks" predicts Rochester's solid, unhandsome appearance and thorny character. When she first sees the third story of the house, Jane observes that its oldfashioned furniture make it a "shrine of memory," and later we learn that Rochester's past is literally present there in the person of Bertha. In Chapter 25 Jane dreams of Thornfield as a ruin and sees herself falling from a "narrow ledge" or "wall," as Rochester later does when the roof collapses in the fire. Later, Jane sees the actual wreckage of Thornfield before she finds the crippled Rochester himself.

Try to find some other examples in which the house takes on a symbolic importance.

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