CliffsNotes on

Silas Marner

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About the Author

About the Novel

A Brief Synopsis
List of Characters

Summaries and Commentaries

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapters 3 & 4
Chapter 5
Chapters 6 & 7
Chapters 8 & 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapters 14 & 15
Chapter 16
Chapters 17 & 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Conclusion

Character Analyses

Silas Marner
Nancy Lammeter
Godfrey Cass
Eppie
Dunstan Cass
The Choral Characters
Dolly Winthrop

Critical Essays

Plot and Structure
Technique and Characterization
Themes
Symbolism

Study Help

Quiz
Essay Topics and Review Questions

Cite this Literature Note

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Quiz

1:  Three of Eliot’s works recall her childhood and the rural world she knew in Warwickshire: Silas Marner, The Mill on the Floss, and

a. Middlemarch

b. The Lifted Veil

c. Adam Bede

d. Scenes of Clerical Life
2:  To Silas, gold coins represent

a. wealth

b. self-esteem

c. companionship

d. the reward for hard work
3:  No one suspects Dunstan of the robbery because he is

a. widely known for his good and godly character

b. attending a horse race in a neighboring town

c. a member of the leading family of the village

d. gone on a fox hunt
4:  The child crawls through the snow to Silas’ door. Symbolically, the door is open, which represents Silas’

a. desire for bad energy to exit his home

b. wish for a fresh outlook on life

c. means for a quick exit if the robber comes again

d. readiness for human contact
5:  Silas names the child Hepzibah, a biblical name that means

a. “my delight is in her”

b. “the lamp of Jehovah”

c. “my hope is fulfilled”

d. “she who reawakens life”
6:  One way that Godfrey honors his vow to provide for Eppie is to

a. give her soil for a garden

b. pay for her wedding feast

c. give her three gold coins every Christmas

d. buy her a new wagon to take to market
7:  Through his troubles, Silas determines that the basis of his religious faith is knowing that

a. moral turpitude never goes unpunished

b. faith in men and a just God will conquer all

c. salvation lies in unquestioned doctrine

d. there is goodness in other men and in himself
8:  Which of the following is an indirect theme in the novel?

a. The influence of “pure, natural human relationships”

b. The function of religion in society

c. The use of custom and tradition

d. The effect of industrialization on nineteenth-century English society
9:  As a group, the “choral characters” give information about the background of the story, comment on the action, and

a. repeat established themes such as generosity and doubt

b. provide broad comedy

c. underscore tragic scenes

d. provide musical entertainment at town functions
10:  Who said the following: “We shall want for nothing when we have our daughter.”

a. Godfrey

b. Nancy

c. Eppie

d. Dolly
11:  Who said the following: “No man can begin to mould himself on a faith or an idea without rising to a higher order of experience.”

a. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

b. Theologian David Strauss

c. George Eliot

d. The Dalai Lama
12:  Who said the following to Godfrey: “It ‘ud be saving time if Molly should happen to take a drop too much laudanum some day and make a widower of you.”

a. His brother, Dunstan

b. His father, Squire Cass

c. Mr. Lammeter, father of Godfrey’s secret love (Nancy)

d. His godfather, Dr. Kimble



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