CliffsNotes on

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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Book Summary

James Joyce Biography

Early Childhood
Education
Advanced Education
The Creative Years

About A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Summary, Analysis, and Original Text by Chapter

Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V

Character List

Character Analysis

Stephen Dedalus

Critical Essays

Joyce's Use of Imagery
The Question of Autobiography

Study and Homework Help

Full Glossary for A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Quiz
Essay Questions

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Study and Homework Help

Quiz

1:  Stephen’s last name is a reference to what character from mythology?

a. An architect who was trapped in his own labyrinth

b. A sailor who went on a quest for the Golden Fleece

c. The son of Athena whose travels are chronicled in The Aeneid

d. The one-eyed giant whom Ulysses blinded
2:  As a small boy, what is the subject of Stephen’s favorite song?

a. A dog

b. Cachous

c. Wild roses

d. Shortbread
3:  What does Stephen’s father mean when he gives him the advice to “never peach on a fellow”?

a. Never become overly friendly with someone

b. Never embarrass a friend

c. Never steal another man’s woman

d. Never inform on someone
4:  All of the following happen to Stephen at Clongowes Wood College EXCEPT

a. He is pushed into a cesspool and develops a fever.

b. He is awarded a ribbon for doing sums quickly.

c. He is unjustly punished for breaking his glasses.

d. He befriends a boy who confides that his name is unusual too.
5:  During Christmas dinner, who ruins Stephen’s pleasant experience of sitting at the adult table by holding a heated argument about politics and religion?

a. Stephen’s father and mother

b. Aunt Dante and John Casey

c. Stephen’s mother and Uncle Charles

d. Uncle Charles and Eileen
6:  How does Father Conmee betray Stephen?

a. He acts kindly, then ridicules Stephen in front of the class.

b. He listens to Stephen, but then later uses him as an example in his sermon.

c. He is initially compassionate to Stephen, yet later ridicules him with his father.

d. He withdraws a penalty, but then reports it to his father.
7:  What romantic novel does Stephen re-enact with Aubrey?

a. The Three Musketeers

b. The Count of Monte Cristo

c. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

d. Frankenstein
8:  All of the following are true of Stephen’s father EXCEPT

a. He is financially savvy.

b. He dwells on his own past experiences and his lost friends.

c. He is a staunch Irish Nationalist.

d. He is good-natured.
9:  Where does Stephen go after he leaves Clongowes Wood College?

a. Gonzaga College

b. Crescent College

c. Stonyhurst College

d. Belvedere College
10:  With whom is Stephen’s first sexual encounter?

a. Emma

b. His neighbor, Eileen

c. A girl from acting class

d. A Dublin prostitute
11:  After he commits the “violent sin” where does Stephen hear sermons that terrify him?

a. A church in Dublin

b. During a school lecture

c. A spiritual retreat

d. A church in Blackrock
12:  What event inspires an epiphany that signals the dawn of Stephen’s new life as a young artist?

a. A seagull skimming the water

b. A girl wading in the sea

c. Smoke billowing from a pipe

d. A dream about the Creation
13:  Who is Stephen’s confidant at University College whom he describes as having a “priestlike face” and “womanish eyes”?

a. Cranly

b. Lynch

c. MacCann

d. Temple
14:  Which of these art forms, according to Stephen, is the most superior because the artist’s personality is completely submerged in it?

a. biographical

b. lyrical

c. epical

d. dramatic
15:  Where does Stephen write these final words of the novel: “I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.”

a. In a letter to Crany

b. In his diary

c. In a note to his father

d. In a letter to Father Michael



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