Excerpt from Howard's Endby E. M. Forster

One may as well begin with Helen's letters to her sister.

Howards End, Tuesday. Dearest Meg,

"It isn't going to be what we expected. It is old and little, and altogether delightfulred brick. We can scarcely pack in as it is, and the dear knows what will happen when Paul (younger son) arrives to-morrow. From hall you go right or left into dining-room or drawing-room. Hall itself is practically a room. You open another door in it, and there are the stairs going up in a sort of tunnel to the first-floor. Three bed-rooms in a row there, and three attics in a row above. That isn't all the house really, but it's all that one noticesnine windows as you look up from the front garden.

"Then there's a very big wych-elmto the left as you look upleaning a little over the house, and standing on the boundary between the garden and meadow. I quite love that tree already. Also ordinary elms, oaksno nastier than ordinary oakspear-trees, apple-trees, and a vine. No silver birches, though. However, I must get on to my host and hostess. I only wanted to show that it isn't the least what we expected. Why did we settle that their house would be all gables and wiggles, and their garden all gamboge-coloured paths? I believe simply because we associate them with expensive hotelsMrs. Wilcox trailing in beautiful dresses down long corridors, Mr. Wilcox bullying porters, etc. We females are that unjust.

"I shall be back Saturday; will let you know train later. They are as angry as I am that you did not come too; really Tibby is too tiresome, he starts a new mortal disease every month. How could he have got hay fever in London? and even if he could, it seems hard that you should give up a visit to hear a schoolboy sneeze. Tell him that Charles Wilcox (the son who is here) has hay fever too, but he's brave, and gets quite cross when we inquire after it. Men like the Wilcoxes would do Tibby a power of good. But you won't agree, and I'd better change the subject.

"This long letter is because I'm writing before breakfast. Oh, the beautiful vine leaves! The house is covered with a vine. I looked out earlier, and Mrs. Wilcox was already in the garden. She evidently loves it. No wonder she sometimes looks tired. She was watching the large red poppies come out. Then she walked off the lawn to the meadow, whose corner to the right I can just see. Trail, trail, went her long dress over the sopping grass, and she came back with her hands full of the hay that was cut yesterdayI suppose for rabbits or something, as she kept on smelling it. The air here is delicious. Later on I heard the noise of croquet balls, and looked out again, and it was Charles Wilcox practising; they are keen on all games. Presently he started sneezing and had to stop. Then I hear more clicketing, and it is Mr. Wilcox practising, and then, 'a-tissue, a-tissue': he has to stop too. Then Evie comes out, and does some calisthenic exercises on a machine that is tacked on to a green-gage-treethey put everything to useand then she says 'a-tissue,' and in she goes. And finally Mrs. Wilcox reappears, trail, trail, still smelling hay and looking at the flowers. I inflict all this on you because once you said that life is sometimes life and sometimes only a drama, and one must learn to distinguish tother from which, and up to now I have always put that down as 'Meg's clever nonsense.' But this morning, it really does seem not life but a play, and it did amuse me enormously to watch the W's. Now Mrs. Wilcox has come in.

"I am going to wear [omission]. Last night Mrs. Wilcox wore an [omission], and Evie [omission]. So it isn't exactly a go-as-you-please place, and if you shut your eyes it still seems the wiggly hotel that we expected. Not if you open them. The dog-roses are too sweet. There is a great hedge of them over the lawnmagnificently tall, so that they fall down in garlands, and nice and thin at the bottom, so that you can see ducks through it and a cow. These belong to the farm, which is the only house near us. There goes the breakfast gong. Much love. Modified love to Tibby. Love to Aunt Juley; how good of her to come and keep you company, but what a bore. Burn this. Will write again Thursday.

"HELEN."

"Howards End

"Friday

"Dearest Meg,

"I am having a glorious time. I like them all. Mrs. Wilcox, if quieter than in Germany, is sweeter than ever, and I never saw anything like her steady unselfishness, and the best of it is that the others do not take advantage of her. They are the very happiest, jolliest family that you can imagine. I do really feel that we are making friends. The fun of it is that they think me a noodle, and say soat least, Mr. Wilcox doesand when that happens, and one doesn't mind, it's a pretty sure test, isn't it? He says the most horrid things about woman's suffrage so nicely, and when I said I believed in equality he just folded his arms and gave me such a setting down as I've never had. Meg, shall we ever learn to talk less? I never felt so ashamed of myself in my life. I couldn't point to a time when men had been equal, nor even to a time when the wish to be equal had made them happier in other ways. I couldn't say a word. I had just picked up the notion that equality is good from some bookprobably from poetry, or you. Anyhow, it's been knocked into pieces, and, like all people who are really strong, Mr. Wilcox did it without hurting me. On the other hand, I laugh at them for catching hay fever. We live like fighting-cocks, and Charles takes us out every day in the motora tomb with trees in it, a hermit's house, a wonderful road that was made by the Kings of Merciatennisa cricket matchbridge and at night we squeeze up in this lovely house. The whole clan's here nowit's like a rabbit warren. Evie is a dear. They want me to stop over SundayI suppose it won't matter if I do. Marvellous weather and the views marvellousviews westward to the high ground. Thank you for your letter. Burn this.

"Your affectionate

"HELEN."

"Howards End,

"Sunday.

"Dearest, dearest Meg,I do not know what you will say: Paul and I are in lovethe younger son who only came here Wednesday."

Use the passage to answer the question.

What is the effect of the opening sentence of this passage?

E.

It shows that Helen's point of view in her letters is of little importance.

D.

It illustrates ways in which Helen's view of events is inherently limited.

C.

It establishes that Helen's is not the sole point of view in the narrative.

B.

It demonstrates the effects that Meg has on Helen's point of view.

A.

It shows that Helen is able to make fun of herself and her letters.

Use the passage to answer the question.

What does the passage imply about women's suffrage?

E.

Women had insufficient education to fight successfully for it.

D.

Women did not understand the significance of their suffrage.

C.

Women had to fight generally nice men to achieve suffrage.

B.

Women were primarily for it, while men were against it.

A.

Women were berated and belittled for their belief in it.

Use the passage to answer the question.

Which of the following themes is best illustrated by Helen's changing perception of the Wilcoxes?

E.

People are generally good at heart, even if they appear otherwise.

D.

People can expand your worldview if you are open to new ideas.

C.

People can be unexpectedly complex, despite prejudices.

B.

People are not always what they seem at first sight.

A.

People are less ridiculous the more you know them.

Use the passage to answer the question.

From Helen's description, her anticipation that the house would be "all gables and wiggles, and their garden all gamboge-coloured paths" is most indicative of which of the following?

E.

her concerns about the safety of the Wicoxes' house

D.

her prejudices about people outside of London

C.

her misconception that the Wilcoxes were rich

B.

her belief in the Wilcoxes' overblown tastes

A.

her ideas about how people in England live

Use the passage to answer the question.

What is the effect of Helen watching the Wilcoxes in a way that seems "not life but a play"?

E.

It shows that the Wilcoxes have an overly dramatic sense of their importance.

D.

It demonstrates Helen's tendency to be a spectator rather than a participant.

C.

It introduces the Wilcoxes individually to the reader, who also acts as the audience.

B.

It illustrates that while most of the Wilcoxes are normal, Mrs. Wilcox is not.

A.

It shows that Helen's character serves as a stand-in for the reader.

Use the passage to answer the question.

Helen's observation that the house is like a "rabbit warren" indicates that it is which of the following?

E.

ugly

D.

half-built

C.

dirty

B.

cute

A.

crowded

Use the passage to answer the question.

Helen's reference to the "Kings of Mercia" serves primarily to

E.

emphasize the romance and history of the region.

D.

show that even famous historical figures had mundane duties.

C.

brag about her experiences to her less-fortunate sister.

B.

illustrate the necessity of inventing stories for fun.

A.

make fun of her hosts' overzealous pretentions.

Use the passage to answer the question.

What is the textual impact of Helen's isolation in her first letter?

E.

It demonstrates that she regrets leaving home, characterizing her as a homebody.

D.

It illustrates the ways in which a young woman was restricted socially on her own.

C.

It foreshadows the isolation she will again feel at the end of the passage.

B.

It emphasizes the rapidity with which she then becomes close to the family.

A.

It shows how cold and unwelcoming the upper classes can be.

Use the passage to answer the question.

How does the Wilcoxes' house serve as a symbol for Helen's relationship with Paul?

E.

It is in line with her expectations.

D.

It is unexpected and pleasant.

C.

It is large and uncomfortable.

B.

It is cozy and welcoming.

A.

It is small and homely.

Use the passage to answer the question.

Which of the following is the most direct use of foreshadowing in the excerpt?

E.

the recounting of Charles's adventures

D.

the explanation of the landscape

C.

the description of the house

B.

the analysis of the Wilcoxes

A.

the early mention of Paul

Use the passage to answer the question.

In which way does Helen's diction best illustrate her relationship with her sister?

E.

through the use of references her sister will not understand

D.

through the use of simplistic and straightforward words

C.

through the use of condescending and academic words

B.

through the use of words and phrases they made up

A.

through the use of references to shared experiences

Use the passage to answer the question.

In which way is the landscaping symbolic?

E.

It is pleasant and pastoral, indicating that there will be no conflicts.

D.

It is typical of the nouveau riche, whom the WIlcoxes represent.

C.

It is not what Helen anticipated, which is also true of Paul.

B.

It provokes allergies, foreshadowing difficulties ahead.

A.

It is pretentious and overbearing, just like Charles.